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THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN

NATURALIST

Vol. 25 No. 2
March 30,2006

Western Australian
Naturalists’ Club

Level 2, The Beaufort Centre, 82 Beaufort St, Perth.

Postal Address: PO Box 8257, Perth Business Centre 6849

Telephone: (os)92282495 email: wanats@iinet.net.au

Founded 1924
Objects:

To encourage the study of Natural History in all its branches, and to endeavour to prevent the
wanton destruction of native flora and fauna.

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Patrons:

Professor A.R. (BERT) MAIN and Dr BARBARA YORK MAIN
President:

KATE CREED

Vice Presidents:

BOB HUNTER, ROZ HART

Hon. Secretary:
MARGARET LARKE

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Journal Editor:
JOHN DELL

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ALAN NOTLEY, JANE BRACKEN, MAUREEN IVEMEY,
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Telephone: 9401 4417

Vol. 25 30th March 2006 No. 2

PROBABLE LOCAL EXTINCTION OF THE BUSH RAT,
RATTUS FUSCIPES ON EAST WALLABI ISLAND
IN THE HOUTMAN ABROLHOS

By N.K. COOPER and R.A. HOW

Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA 6986

and

A. DESMOND

Department of Conservation and Land Management, Geraldton, WA

ABSTRACT

The Bush Rat, Rattus fuscipes, has not been trapped on East
Wallabi Island in the Houtman Abrolhos, Western
Australia, since 1967. Recent surveys on both East and West
Wallabi have suggested that though there is a significant
population of Bush Rats present on the latter, there is a
possibility that the population on East Wallabi is either
very small or extinct. Further survey work to establish the
status of Bush Rats on East Wallabi is necessary.

Figure 1 . Photo
of R. fuscipes.
(Photo Greg
Barron).

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Greg Barron (1952-2005), who was a noted
naturalist, photographer and Western Australian Museum staff member from 1977

to 1985.

INTRODUCTION
The common and widespread
Bush Rat, Rattus fuscipes, is a
medium sized native Australian
rodent (Figurel) with weights
ranging between 40-225 g
throughout its distribution
around the coast of southern
and eastern Australia and on
near-coastal islands. There are
four currently recognised sub¬
species (Lunney 1998). In Western
Australia, it is present in coastal
forests and shrublands from
Jurien Bay southeast to Point
Dempster with outlying
populations on the Wallabi
Islands of the Houtman Abrolhos
(Figure 2).

Rattus fuscipes was first collected
during the Voyage of the Beagle
[1832-1836] and described by
Waterhouse in 1839. The holo-
type (the specimen designated as
the type specimen of the
nominal species) was collected at
King George’s Sound, Western
Australia in March 1836 and has
since been lost. A neotype (a
newly designated type specimen
selected in the absence of the
holotype) was designated by
Taylor and Horner in 1967
(Western Australian Museum
specimen M6634) as a female
collected at “Princess Royal
Harbour, approximately 4 miles
due south of Mount Melville

R. fuscipes across Australia from

Figure 2. Map of distribution of
vvwvv.museum.wa.gov.au/faunabase

Albany, WA”. This locality is
approximately four miles from
where H.M.S. “Beagle” is thought
to have anchored in 1836.

In 1926 Thomas named a
specimen from East Wallabi
Island (British Museum, BMNH
26.7.12.2 original Western
Australian Museum registration
number 9103) as Rattus glauerti
because the teeth were “so
conspicuously smaller than those
of the mainland animal as to
indicate specific distinctness”.
The name R. glauerti was sub¬
sequently synonymised with R.
fuscipes.

Given the remoteness and
isolation of this population of R.
fuscipes from mainland ones and
the fact that isolated reptile
species on the Abrolhos islands
are taxonomically distinct, (the
Abrolhos Dwarf Bearded Dragon,
Pogona minor minima and
Abrolhos Spiny-tailed Skink,
Egernia stokesii stokesii), there is a
need to determine the taxon¬
omic status of R. fuscipes on the
islands.

The Houtman Abrolhos is an
archipelago of over 170 islands,
islets and rocks (Harvey et al.
2001) lying some 55-70 km off
the mid west coast of Australia
and it is the site of the earliest
European habitation of the
continent in 1629. The
Archipelago comprises four
island groups, the southern
Pelsaert Group, the central Easter
Group, the northern Wallabi
Group and even further to the
north, North Island. All these
groups are separated from one

another by sea depths of over 40
m and by similar depths from the
adjacent mainland.

West and East Wallabi Islands
(Figure 3a and 3b), are the largest
islands in the archipelago and
consist of Cretaceous and
Tertiary limestone, siltstone and
marl of continental origin, and
have been isolated by rising sea
levels for between 6000-8000
years from the adjacent
mainland (Harvey et al. 2001).
They are currently separated
from each other by nearly 2 km
of ocean at a depth of less than 2
m. Important geological features
on East and West Wallabi
include pavement limestone,
sand dunes and consolidated
dunes which are unusual, easily
disturbed structures that have a
slow rate of regeneration
(AIMAC & Fisheries WA 1998.)

East Wallabi has an area of 307 ha
while West Wallabi is 587 ha.
Both have an average annual
rainfall of 400mm (Abbott
&Burbidge 1995). The flora,
vegetation structure and
geological associations of the
islands are described in Harvey et
al. (2001; Table 11), who report
that 97 species occur on West
Wallabi and 74 on East Wallabi
of which 79% and 64% are
native, respectively. Storr et al.
(1986) have described the birds of
the Abrolhos. There are 27 species
of bird recorded from East
Wallabi, 24 landbirds and 3
seabirds; on West Wallabi there
are 48 species, 35 species
(including waders) and 13
seabirds (pers. comm. Ron

Johnstone). Nineteen species of
reptiles, (How et al. } 2004) have
been recorded from West
Wallabi and 16 species from East
Wallabi. A further two taxa have
been added to the East Wallabi
reptile assemblage as a result of

the November 2005 survey
(Maryan 2005).

According to Abbott and
Burbidge (1995) neither island
was accessible to Aborigines prior
to European settlement. How¬
ever, this does not indicate that

Figure 3a. Map of West Wallabi Island with trap lines marked in bold. Contour
lines representing habitat types (after Harvey et al. 2001).

Aboriginal people did not access
the land when it was connected
to the mainland (M. Smith pers.
comm.). West Wallabi is histori¬
cally famous for the landing of
the soldiers shipwrecked from
the Batavia, in June 1629 looking
for water, and their subsequent
stranding and attacks by J.
Cornelisz, the mutineer.
Presently, East Wallabi is un¬
inhabited but has an airstrip that
gives access to tourists and
visitors travelling to other
islands. Rock lobster fishers have
a settlement at Pelican Point,
West Wallabi which they
seasonally occupy. Both islands
are under the control of the W.A.
Department of Fisheries.

The history of trapping of R.
fuscipes on the islands strongly
suggests that the population on
East Wallabi is either very low or

now extinct, with the last
known record being from 1967.
In November 2005, a field survey
of West and East Wallabi Islands
in the Houtman Abrolhos was
organised between the Western
Australian Museum and the
Department of Conservation and
Land Management to document
the reptile fauna and evaluate
the populations of R. fuscipes on
the Wallabi Islands.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Information on the presence of
R. fuscipes on East and West
Wallabi Islands was extracted
from the mammal database of
the Western Australian Museum,
Western Australian Museum
catalogues and the field
notebooks of Glen Storr, Alex
Baynes and Ric How.

Figure 3b. Map of East Wallabi Island with trap lines marked in bold. Contour
lines representing habitat types (after Harvey et al. 2001).

Many individuals who have
worked on the Wallabi Islands or
who have visited them were
contacted for any information
regarding evidence of R. fuscipes
sighted or trapped in the last
three decades on the islands.

Collections of R. fuscipes from the
islands were made either by hand
or using mammal traps of various
types. Early trapping involved the
use of Break-back traps (like large
mousetraps), however, these have
not been used since the 1980s for
ethical reasons. Baynes used
Sherman traps (large collapsible
metal box traps) while recent
trapping has involved the use of
Elliott traps (collapsible
aluminium box traps) and pit-fall
traps with fence lines.

The notebooks confirm that
trapping generally occurred in
several vegetation types and at
numerous locations on the two
Wallabi islands (Figure 3a and
3b). It was not possible to differ¬
entiate trapping effort into the
various habitat types identified
by Harvey et al. (2001), although
trapping by Baynes and How is
known to cover several habitat
types on both islands.

During the November 2005
survey all individuals trapped
were examined to determine
their sex; measured for nose-vent
length, tail-vent length and
weighed.

RESULTS

TRAPPING HISTORY

The specimen named R. glauerti

by Thomas in 1926, was collected
from East Wallabi Island on 17
November 1907, (original
Western Australian Museum
registration number is 9103). The
specimen was received in
exchange by the British Museum
from the Western Australian
Museum. In 1926, Thomas
donated New Guinea and
Queensland specimens to the
Western Australian Museum and
these may have been the
exchange specimens for the
Rattus type.

From data in the notebooks and
the mammal database of the
Western Australian Museum, R.
fuscipes was observed and
collected on East Wallabi Islands
in April 1959 by G. Storr, who
also collected two individuals in
September of that year using
Break-back traps. In December
1966, J. Kirsch collected
specimens from East Wallabi and
in August 1967 A. Baynes and M.
Archer trapped the last known
individuals from East Wallabi
(Table 1). In September 1977, R.
How trapped in the same
location as Baynes, from the
southeastern beach through to
the eucalypt patch, and failed to
record the species (Figure 3b). In
October 2002 Pearson and How
again failed to trap individuals
on East Wallabi Island while
trapping on the southwestern
dunes and limestone pavement.

Individual R. fuscipes were
collected on West Wallabi Island
in April 1959 by G. Storr who was
again successful in June and
September 1959. Individuals were

Table 1. Summary Table of trapping data for R. fuscipes on East and West Wallabi Islands, including Date, Trap type (E,
Elliott; BB, Break Back; P, Pit fall), number of individuals trapped and the collectors names. An asterisk denotes

trapped or caught by hand in
April 1960 by J. Kelsall and G.
Storr, while in August 1977, R.
How successfully trapped
individuals on West Wallabi
(Table 1). The species was again
trapped on West Wallabi by D.
Pearson and R. How in October
1999 and October 2002.

No further records or sightings of
R. fuscipes on the islands were
obtained by the authors.

NOVEMBER 2005 SURVEY
During the November 2005
survey no R. fuscipes were caught
on East Wallabi, although 291
trap nights using both Elliott
and pit fall traps were employed.
During the same survey period
43 R. fuscipes were caught on
West Wallabi Island after 300
trap nights using both trap types,
with no difference in capture
rates between either trap type
(Table 1). Active Bush Rats were
also observed during the cool
overcast days during this survey.

Four of the 43 individuals were
recaptures while one escaped and
two were killed by shearwaters in
pitfall traps. The weight and
measurements of the individuals
are presented in Table 2. Adults
and sub-adults were represented
in the samples of both sexes.

DISCUSSION

The last R. fuscipes caught on East
Wallabi Island was in August 1967
and, despite additional surveys in
September 1977, October 2002 and
November 2005, no captures have
subsequently been made. The
direct temporal comparison
during this study of trapping
success for R. fuscipes on both East
and West Wallabi Island clearly
indicates that while a healthy
population persists on West
Wallabi Island, no individuals
were found on East Wallabi
Island. During extensive diurnal
searches for reptiles on each of
the Wallabi Islands during the
November survey, R. fuscipes was
seen on West Wallabi but no
observations or signs were
recorded on East Wallabi. This
absence of sightings and
differences in the trapping
success on East Wallabi Island
contrasts with the success of
captures for the species on West
Wallabi over the same time span
and suggests that there is a strong
possibility that the R. fuscipes
population on East Wallabi is
extinct.

Eastern populations of R. fuscipes
are known to be larger in
summer and autumn when
young are weaned and the

Table 2. Summary of Mean, Standard Deviation, Minimum and Maximum
measurements for Nose-vent Length, Tail-vent length and Weight for 18 female
and 13 male R. fuscipes trapped on West Wallabi Island in November 2005.

Nose-Vent Length (mm)

Tail-Vent Length (mm)

WEIGHT (g)

Females (18)
Males (13)

114.4±18.5, 75-145
114.5±15.7, 95-150

100.2±14.3,70-123
100.2±13.5, 80-120

53.4±15.1, 23-75
52.9±17.8, 29-96

population numbers are lowest
in winter. In the present spring
study, November 2005, small
sub-adults (animals which are
not reproductively mature), were
present in the West Wallabi
population. However, the
presence of sub-adults, does not
explain the far higher trapping
success of R. fuscipes on West
Wallabi for this survey than in
any previous one on the island
undertaken during the winter
and spring.

Island populations have
exhibited much higher densities
than on the adjacent mainland
for Glennie Island in Bass Strait
(Hobbs 1971; Robinson 1975), and
comparatively high densities of
Bush Rats have been recorded by
Wheeler (1970) on Kangaroo
Island and Schmitt (1975) on
Pearson Island off South
Australia.

Bush rats are omnivorous, eating
seeds, fruits, grasses and insects
(Watts and Aslin 1981) and are
opportunistic in their diet. They
were also observed during the
present study eating small
reptiles (geckos) caught in the
same pit trap.

In 1976, Baverstock found that
the water requirements of Bush
Rats in captivity were the
highest of any native rat yet
studied. Despite this, it lives in
the driest habitats of any native
true rat except the Longhaired
Rat (R. villosissimus) and Tunney’s
Rat (R. tunncyi), suggesting that
physiological adaptations that
allow survival without water are
not necessary for successful

exploitation of an arid environ¬
ment. Behavioural adaptations
and adoption of a specialised diet
may be equally important (Watts
and Aslin 1981).

Several factors probably
influence the population size of
R. fuscipes on the two islands. East
Wallabi is about half the size of
West Wallabi, has fewer plant
species and is less diverse in
landform and vegetation types
(Harvey et al. 2001). It is apparent
from our survey that
populations of the Carpet
Python ( Morelia spilota ) and
Tammar Wallaby (Macropus
eu genii) are markedly less
abundant on East Wallabi and
the size of adult skink lizards
Ctenotus fallens are smaller on
East Wallabi than West and this
probably reflects lower
productivity on the former.

There are an estimated 1 030 000
pairs of Wedge-tailed Shearwater,
Puffinus pacificus and the Little
Shearwater, Puffinus assimilis
assimilis breeding on West
Wallabi (Fuller et al. 1994), the
burrows providing shelter and
the eggs a possible food source
for R. fuscipes. There are very few
nests of either species of
shearwater on East Wallabi (C.
Surman pers. comm.).

Fisheries WA (2001 p36)

suggested that a detailed
assessment should be made of
the potential for East Wallabi
Island for tourism development,
however, until there are further
seasonal studies to assess the
population status of R. fuscipes
and to determine the activity

patterns and structure of the
reptile assemblage on the island
this should not be considered.

With Rattus glauerti having been
synonymised with R. fuscipes,
material collected from the
Wallabi islands is being analysed
by Steve Donnellan of the
Evolutionary Biology Unit,
South Australian Museum to
determine the genetic
relationships of Rattus on the
Wallabi islands and to clarify
their taxonomic status.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project was funded by a
grant from the Western
Australian Museum Foundation
with logistic support from the
Department of Conservation and
Land Management (CALM).

We are grateful to Ross Ayling,
and his crew, Ross and Bill on the
Wave Dancer, for their support
and hospitality on West Wallabi
Island and transport to and from
the Abrolhos Islands. David
Pearson, Zoe Hamilton, Brad
Maryan and Jason How provided
invaluable support during
trapping programs on the
Wallabi Islands.

The October 1999 and 2002
surveys were funded by CALM
funds to David Pearson. Alex
Baynes provide helpful advice
and access to his early notebooks
and Ron Johnstone assisted in
locating information from his
notebooks and from those of
Glen Storr.

We also thank Mr Russell Dyson,

Regional Manager, and Andy
Darbyshire of the Fisheries
Department, Geraldton, for
permission to undertake the
survey on the Wallabi Islands.
The Western Australian Museum
currently works under a CALM
Permit No SF004816 to collect
fauna and has ethics approval
through the CALM Animal
Ethics Committee [Licen.se to Use
Animals for Scientific Purposes No.
U18/2005] to take tissue from
individuals.

We also thank Claire Stevenson
who produced Figures 3a and 3b.

REFERENCES

ABBOTT, I. and BURBIDGE, A.A.
1995. The occurrence of mammal
species on the islands of Australia:
a summary of existing knowledge.
CALM Science. Vol. 1, No. 3: 259-
324

A1MAC and FISHERIES WA. 1998.
Management Plan for Sustainable
Tourism at the Houtman
Abrolhos. Draft for Public
Comment.

ALEXANDER, W.B. 1922. The
vertebrate fauna of the
Houtman’s Abrolhos (Abrolhos
Islands), Western Australia, Journal
of the Linnaean Society, London 34:
457-486.

BAVERSTOCK, .P.R. 1976. Water
balance and kidney function in
four species of Rattus from
ecologically diverse environments.
Australian Journal of Zoology 24: 4-
17.

FISHERIES W. A. 2001. Sustainable
tourism plan for the Houtman

Abrolhos. Fisheries Management
Paper No 146.

FULLER, P.J., BURBIDGE, A.A. and
OWENS, R. 1994. Breeding seabirds
of the Houtman Abrolhos,
Western Australia. 1991-1993.
Corella 16:97-113.

HARVEY, J.M, ALFORD, J.J.,
LONGMAN, V.M. and KEIGHERY,
G.J. 2001. A flora and vegetation
survey of the Houtman Abrolhos,
Western Australia. CALM Science
Vol. 3, No. 4: 521-625.

HOBBS, R.P. 1971. Studies of an
island population of Rattus
fuscipes. Victorian Naturalist 88: 32-
8 .

HOW, R.A., PEARSON, D ).,
DESMOND. A. and MARYAN, B.
2004. Reappraisal of the reptiles
on the islands of the Houtman
Abrolhos, Western Australia.
Western Australian Naturalist 24:
172-178.

LUNNEY, D. 1998. Bush Rat, Rattus
fuscipes, pp 651-53. In: R. Strahan
(ed) Mamma/s of Australia.
Australian Museum/ Reed Books.

MARYAN, B. 2005. A
Herpetofauna hotspot, the
Central West Coast of Western
Australia. Western Australian
Naturalist 25: 1-24.

ROBINSON, A.C. 1975. Population
regulation in the bush rat (Rattus
fuscipes). Abstract. Australian
Mammalogy 1: 404.

SCHMITT, L.H. 1975. Genetic
evidence for the existence of two

separate populations of Rattus
fuscipes greyi on Pearson Island,
South Australia. Transactions of
Royal Society of South Australia 99:
35-8.

STORR, G.M, JOHNSTONE, R.E.
and GRIFFIN, P. 1986. Birds of the
Houtman Abrolhos, Western
Australia. Records of the Western
Australian Museum Supplement
No. 24.

TAYLOR, J.M. and HORNER, B.E.
1967. Results of the Archbold
Expeditions. No. 88. The
historical misapplication of the
name Mus fuscipes and a
systematic re-evaluation of
Rattus lacus (Rodentia, Muridae).
American Museum Novitates 2281:
1-14.

THOMAS, O. 1926. Two New
Australian Muridae. Annals and
Magazine of Natural History 18:
308-310

WATERHOUSE, G.R. 1939. The
zoology of the voyage of H.M.S.
Beagle, under the command of
Captain Fitzroy, R.N., during the
years 1832 to 1836. Pt 2 Mammalia
60pp. London: Smith, Elder &
Co.

WATTS, C.H.S. and ASL1N, H.J.
1981. The Rodents of Australia.
Angus and Robertson Publishers,
Sydney.

WHEELER, S.H. 1970. The ecology
of Rattus fuscipes greyi on
Kangaroo Island (Abstract).
Australian Mammal Society
Bulletin 2: 196.

BIRDS OF THE COCOS (KEELING) ISLANDS,
INDIAN OCEAN

By D. HOPTON

P.O. Box 56, Ashbourne, South Australia 5157

SUMMARY

This paper reports on bird observations made on two trips
to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands including the remote and
difficult-to-access Pulu Keeling National Park in May and
June/July 2003. Although additional species new to the
island that I recorded as well as some of my other sightings
have been included in Johnstone and Storr (2004), this
paper expands on my observations during my time on the
islands. I have included a list of all previous species sighted
on the islands although a review of all previous records can
be found in Johnstone and Storr (2004).

INTRODUCTION
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are
situated in the north-eastern
Indian Ocean (12° 12' S, 96° 54’ E).
The closest island is Christmas
Island (see Figure 211 in
Johnstone and Storr 2004), which
is 975km to the east-north-east.
Java Head is just over 1,000 km to
the northeast while Perth is
2900km to the southeast (Parks
Australia 1999). The annual
climate is tropical with an
average rainfall of 1976 mm. The
islands have an average daily
maximum of 28.9 C, high
humidity and a predominant
wind direction of east to south¬
east with average daily speeds of
16 to 30 km/hr for most of the
year (Director of National Parks
2004).

The southern atoll consists of 26
islands surrounding a lagoon.
North Keeling Island (only 1.2
square kilometres in size) is 24
km to the north. The total land
area of the two atolls is 14 square
kilometres. A narrow submarine
bank at a depth of 700-800m
connects the atolls while the
depth of the surrounding ocean
is approximately 5000m. There is
no fresh water on North Keeling
Island. Bechet Besar freshwater
swamp on West Island is the only
fresh water above ground on the
islands, although Horsburgh
Island has a small brackish lake
on its northern side. The
islanders rely on the freshwater
lenses on the two largest islands,
West Island and Home Island, for
water.

There are about five hundred
Cocos-Malay people living on
Home Island and one hundred
people, mostly public servants,
live on West Island (Parks
Australia 1999). The islands are
very low lying, the highest point
being on South Island where a
sand dune reaches 9m above sea
level.

Even before settlement in the
early nineteenth century
Coconuts (Cocos nucifera) were
abundant on the islands.
However, since then coconut
plantations have replaced most
of the original vegetation on the
southern atoll. The vegetation
on North Keeling Island remains
pristine due mainly to its
inaccessibility (Parks Australia
1999).

North Keeling Island was
proclaimed Pulu Keeling
National Park in 1995 and is
Australia's smallest Common¬
wealth national park. The island
is 2km long and 1.3km wide. The
shore rises steeply to a height of
3-5 m and then slopes gradually
to the central lagoon. The Park
includes the land area of the
island as well as a marine area
extending 1.5km around the
perimeter. As well as the Park's
value as an unspoiled coral atoll
ecosystem it supports one of the
largest breeding colonies in the
world of the Red-footed Booby
(Sula sulci) (Parks Australia 1999).
The mouth of the lagoon on the
east coast has been blocked for
the last few years and the water
level in the lagoon is falling.
Pisonia (Pisonia grandis) forest and

Coconut dominate the
vegetation on North Keeling
Island. Octopus Bush (A rgusia
argentea) shrublands are common
on the eastern shore while Tea
Shrub (Pemphis aciclula) and
smaller patches of Ironwood
(Cordia subcordata) form dense
thickets around the margin of
the lagoon, interspersed with
open grassy areas (Parks Australia
1999).

The vegetation is affected by
cyclones that pass through the
area occasionally. The shallow
rooted Pisonia trees are easily
blown over and reshoot where
they fall. Cyclone Walter, which
passed through the area on 5
April 2001, felled 14 percent of
the trees on North Keeling and
destroyed 61 percent of the
canopy (Director of National
Parks 2004). The resulting
regrowth and original root
systems and old trunks form
formidable barriers as well as
ideal habitat for the endemic
Cocos Buff-banded Rail
(Gallirallus philippensis andreivsi).
Apart from birds a few other
vertebrates occur on the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands.

The Mourning Gecko
(L epidodactylus lugubris) occurs on
North Keeling Island while on
the southern atoll the
introduced House Gecko
(Hemidactylus frenatus) and a
blind snake ( Ramphotyphlops sp.)
also occur (Director of National
Parks 2004). Green Turtles
(Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill
Turtles ( Eretmochclys imbricata)
are common, the Green Turtle

nesting on the northern atoll
(Director of National Parks 2004).
A Dugong (Dugong dugon) has
been resident in the lagoon since
May 2002 (Director of National
Parks 2004). Rabbits were
introduced to the islands some
time ago and there are still
occasional reports of sightings by
locals on Direction Island (W.
Murray pers. comm.).

Gibson-Hill (1949) cited an
“immense number" of marine
birds on the main atoll in 1828-
29 and stated that Charles
Darwin, visiting the area in April
1836, referred to the trees on the
main atoll as being “occupied by
many nests of seabirds”.

Most of the birds had been
eliminated from the southern
atoll by 1885 because of habitat
change, density of human
habitation, intense hunting
pressure and predation by cats
and rats. Today there are still
very few birds on the southern
atoll (Stokes 1982).

Carter (1994) recorded
approximately sixty species of
birds from the islands, however,
the number was increased to 72
species (Johnstone & Storr 2004).
The inclusion of the Northern
Giant Petrel recorded by Park
staff in 2003 (Murray, pers.
comm) now increases the
number to 73.

METHODS

My bird observations were made
over two separate periods, 4-15

May 2003 and 26 June-14 July
2003. During the first period 1
searched the entire outer
perimeter of the southern atoll
and a small portion of the inner
lagoon area as well as accessible
areas within the islands. During
the second period 1 was
employed by Parks Australia to
undertake a bird survey of Pulu
Keeling National Park. 1 visited
the National Park twice, in the
company of park staff, from 30
June 2 July and from 7-10 July.
The trip from the southern atoll
to Pulu Keeling takes one hour
by boat. There is only one
landing place on the island,
reached by a 50m swim.

On both trips the island and the
lagoon were circumnavigated.
Approximately 5 hours was also
spent searching the forested
areas, mainly using set transect
lines, which are used for Red¬
footed Booby counts. The lagoon
area was also thoroughly
investigated.

The Wedge-tailed Shearwater
nesting area was checked three
times in the evenings with the
intent of determining the
presence of the Herald Petrel
(Pterodroma arminjoniana), which
was observed in this area once
before. The area was observed for
a period of one hour on each
occasion until fading light made
bird identification impossible.
The taxonomy and

nomenclature of this list
generally follows Christidis and
Boles (1994).

BIRD SPECIES OF THE COCOS
(KEELING) ISLANDS

Green Junglefowl Callus varius
The former owner of the Cocos
Keeling Islands, George Clunies-
Ross, introduced these birds to
the southern atoll, probably
around 1800 (Gibson-Hill 1950). I
found these birds common along
the roads and the runway on
West Island. Some were observed
with one to three chicks. On one
occasion 42 individuals were
counted from the northern end
of the runway.

Green Junglefowl are decreasing
in number in their own home
range in Indonesia due to habitat
loss and capture for the pet trade
but as an introduced species on
West Island appear to be doing
well. While considered a pest by
locals in gardens and farms this
population could become an
important gene pool for the
species. This species does not occur
in Pulu Keeling National Park.

Red Junglefowl Gallusgallus
Chickens derived from this
species are kept by many of the
islanders and many escape their
cages or are deliberately let loose
around the pondoks (local
shacks). 1 noticed the occasional
bird around dwellings and also
along the road on West Island as
well as on Home, South and
Horsburgh Islands.

The domestic chicken is capable
of interbreeding with the Green
Junglefowl and in some
countries is deliberately crossed

to breed birds for cock fighting. I
saw no obvious evidence of
crossbreds occurring on the
islands although given the
number of both feral chickens
and Green Junglefowl seen this
would seem to be likely to occur.

Feral chickens are restricted to
the southern atoll and are not
found in Pulu Keeling National
Park.

Helmeted Guineafowl Numida
meleagris

Stokes et al (1984) stated that a
pair had been seen in the
transmitter area on West Island
for a number of years probably
derived from domestic stock
from the Clunies-Ross estate.
These birds have not been seen
recently.

Hardhead Aythya australis
I observed one adult male in the
brackish lake on Horsburgh
Island on 11 May 2003. This was
the first record for the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands. The bird was
not sighted on my second visit.

Northern Giant-Petrel
M acronectes halli

A Northern Giant Petrel was
found on Home Island and
handed to park staff in May/
June 2003 in an emaciated
condition. It died but
unfortunately the bird was not
kept as a specimen (Murray, pers.
comm.).

Herald Petrel Pterodroma
arminjoniana

Approximately ten birds were

seen on North Keeling around
the Wedge-tailed Shearwater
colony, possibly breeding, from
April to June in 1986 (Stokes and
Goh 1987). No petrels were sighted
during my visit despite checking
the area on three evenings.
Previous attempts at sighting this
species by park staff have also
been unsuccessful. Visits to the
island are limited and as this
species can only be sighted at
dusk and observers are few there
may be a possibility that this
species still visits the island.

Wedge-tailed Shearwater Puffinus
pacificus

1 observed these birds entering
burrows in the early evenings in
the area adjacent to the inlet on
Pulu Keeling National Park. The
fact that they were still present
in July when breeding should be
well completed was interesting.
Previous records indicate
breeding occurs between
October and November (Gibson-
Hill 1950) (Carter 1994) and
possibly up to January (Stokes et
al. 1984). Four birds were seen to
circle, land and enter burrows
one evening and on subsequent
evenings two and then one bird
were observed. About 20 active
or recently used burrows were in
the area. A few breeding birds
have also been recorded from
West Island (Johnstone and Storr
2004).

Yellow-nosed Albatross D iomedca
chlororhynchos

One bird was found in an
emaciated condition, 2 July 1941

(Gibson-Hill 1949). This specimen
was later identified as D. c. bassii
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Red-tailed Tropicbird P haethon
rubricauda

Breeding birds have been
recorded on South Island, West
Island and on North Keeling
Island (previous records
summarised by Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon
Upturns

1 observed up to 14 birds at a time
in Pulu Keeling National Park
usually high above the other
birds and always late in the day.
One bird was observed possibly
leaving a nesting hollow in an
ironwood and others were
observed flying among trees in
the centre of the forest. 1 also
observed one individual at
Trannies Beach on West Island.
Small numbers have been
recorded on West Island
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
This species breeds throughout
the year in Pulu Keeling National
Park but winter is the prime
nesting time. Birds are only
occasionally recorded from the
southern atoll (Johnstone and
Storr 2004). During my visit I
observed approximately 50 pairs
nesting on the coast on south¬
eastern Pulu Keeling National
Park and two birds were
observed nesting in the open
grassy area near the inlet. Most
nests contained eggs although

there was one large chick at the
inlet near the Wedge-tailed
Shearwater nesting area.

Red-footed Booby Sula sula

In 1941, 3,500-4,000 pairs were
estimated to be present (Gibson-
Hill 1950), 30 000 individuals
were recorded in 1982 (Stokes et
al. 1994) and 'tens of thousands’
breeding birds were sighted in
1999 (Johnstone and Storr 2004).
The resident population of this
species on the northern atoll is
now estimated by park staff to
number 30 000 pairs (Director of
National Parks 2004). The
population of Red-footed Booby
appears to have grown under
protection.

On both my visits to Pulu Keeling
National Park, the birds 1
observed nesting were mainly in
the lagoon area and Pisonia trees
in the centre of the island but
many were also nesting over
other areas of the island, even in
low bushes. Some birds were
collecting nesting material while
others had eggs or chicks up to
approximately eight weeks old.
Dark plumaged immature birds
were also common. Many birds
were nesting close to the
frigatebirds. 1 also observed a few
birds out to sea from Home Island.

Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
Evidently this species fluctuates
widely in numbers (Johnstone
and Storr 2004) but during my
visit approximately 20 pairs were
nesting along the coast in Pulu
Keeling National Park. Nests were
at various stages, eggs to large

chicks being present. Birds are
occasionally sighted near the
southern atoll.

Little Pied Cormorant
Phalacrocorax melanoleucos

1 observed one bird at the
northern end of the runway,
West Island on 7 May 2003. This
was the first sighting for the
islands of this species.

Little Black Cormorant
Phalacrocorax sulcirostris

Four birds were observed on the
edge of the lagoon on the
southern end of the runway on
29 June 2003. This was another
first record for the island.

Great Frigatebird Fregata minor
During my visits to Pulu Keeling
National Park, a number of small
pockets of nesting birds were
observed between the Lesser
Frigatebirds and many birds were
roosting in the trees on the
eastern side of the lagoon. Only
eggs were observed. Although 1
made no estimation of numbers
they were noticeably less
common than the Lesser
Frigatebird. At the time of my
visit the Lesser Frigatebirds
outnumbered Greater Frigate-
birds by about ten to one. This
was considerably less than
Carter’s (1994) estimation in 1994
of two to one. Breeding is
confined to the northern atoll
although birds are occasionally
sighted around the southern
atoll (Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Lesser Frigatebird Fregata arid
Estimations in 1999 by park staff

from surveys indicate a resident
population of approximately
3000 pairs (Parks Australia 1999).
In November 1999 J. Reid
estimated 10000 birds on the
island (Johnstone and Storr
2004). 1 found these birds were
very abundant in Pulu Keeling
National Park; nests were located
in loose groups mainly around
the lagoon area in tea shrub or
ironwood and most contained
eggs. Some birds were also
observed off the coast on the
southern atoll.

Christmas Frigatebird Fregata
andreivsi

An adult female was recorded
from North Keeling in 1986
(Stokes and Goh 1987) and two
more birds were seen on North
Keeling in 1993 (Carter 1994). 1
observed three adult female birds
near South Island flying with
Lesser Frigatebirds on my first
visit.

White-faced Heron Egretta
novaehollandiae

One bird was recorded in January
1992 (Stokes eta/. 1982).

Little Egret Egretta garzetta
A specimen taken in 1879 from
West Island was identified as the
Indonesian race nigripes (Forbes
1885). Carter (1994) observed a bird
with yellow feet on West Island
on 4 November 1993. J. Reid
recorded two birds in November
1999 with nuchal plumes and
bare part colouring consistent
with the subspecies nigripes
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

1 observed Little Egrets opposite
the meteorological station on the
edge of the lagoon, in the North
Park area and on the oval on
Home Island. Up to four birds
were observed at a time and all
were longer legged and more
upright and slender than the
Eastern Reef Egrets. They had
blackish bills grading to
greenish/yellow at the base.
Those that 1 observed closely had
dark legs with yellow feet. There
is a possibility that these birds
may be the subspecies E. garzetta
garzetta. The Australian
subspecies E. g. nigripes has black
feet with yellow to grey soles
while the subspecies garzetta ,
which occurs in Europe, Asia,
Japan, Philippines and Africa, has
yellow feet (Marchant and
Higgins 1990). A specimen would
be needed for confirmation of
subspecies.

Eastern Reef Egret Egretta sacra
Reef egrets are reported to breed
on the southern atoll in coconut
trees around January (Gibson-
Hill 1949, Stokes ct al 1994). I
encountered these birds often on
the rocky shore, inland lagoon
and grassy areas on West Island as
well as most of the smaller
islands. They were often in the
company of the Little Egrets.
Mainly white morphs were seen.
Few were seen on Pulu Keeling
National Park probably due to
lack of suitable habitat.

On 5 July 2003 1 observed a light
ash grey bird in the company of
two dark phase birds and four
white phase birds in the swampy

area around the towers just
south of North Park. This
particular bird had a pale
coloured bill, white head and
neck, pale ash grey body and
wings, darker towards the
primaries. The legs were darkish.
On 11 July 2003 a light ash grey
bird in company of one dark
phase and five white phase birds
was observed on the lagoon side
of central South Island. This bird
appeared similar to the bird seen
on West Island. 1 am fairly
confident that this was an
Eastern Reef Egret but have
never before heard of this colour
variation.

Great Egret Ardea alba
On 6 July 2003 1 flushed three
birds from Beshet Besar
freshwater swamp. The yellow
bills, dark legs (trailing in flight),
long kinked neck and large size
of these birds, compared to the
two reef herons also in the
swamp, clearly identified these
birds. The birds were seen again
on 13 July 2003. This was a new
record for the islands.

Cattle Egret Ardea ibis
Two birds were observed in
breeding plumage on 14 January
1982 (Stokes etai 1982).

Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax

One specimen was taken on 13
October 1941 (Gibson-Hill 1950).

Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax
caledonicus

Observed nesting on the islands

as early as 1879 but regarded as a
visitor in 1949 (Forbes 1885,
Gibson-Hill 1949). 1 found these
birds common on West Island
especially in open grassy areas.
They are also commonly seen on
lawns around buildings. On 29
June 2003 I observed 34 birds
from the northern end of the
runway. They nest in the
Pemphis shrubs on the small
offshore islands of the southern
atoll (Murray, pers. comm.).
Three birds were also observed
roosting in Pulu Keeling
National Park amongst nesting
frigatebirds and Red-footed
Boobies and four birds were seen
on Home Island.

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Four birds were recorded on the
airstrip in May 1990 (Stokes 1994).
J. Reid recorded three birds at
Bechet Besar swamp on 18
November 1999 (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

On 6 May 2003 1 observed seven
birds on the northern end of the
runway. Probably the same birds
were present in various places
including Bechet Besar
freshwater swamp on my second
visit.

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus
ruber

One bird was seen on North
Keeling during 26 April to 15
June 1988 (Marchant and Higgens
1990).

Swamp Harrier Circus approximans
One specimen was taken on 6
July 1941 (Gibson-Hill 1950).

Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides
A pair was seen for several weeks
on West Island on 5 June 1990
(Stokes 1994).

Buff-banded Rail Gallirallus
philippensis

This endemic subspecies G.
philippcnsis andrewsi was once
common on all islands in the
group but now is almost
confined to Pulu Keeling
National Park where it is said to
have been introduced in the late
1800s, although it may already
have been present (Gibson-Hill
1948). It appears that a small
population may be surviving on
West Island as an adult with five
chicks was seen at the southern
end of the runway in July 2002
(Director of National Parks
2004).

On my visit to Pulu Keeling
National Park 1 found these birds
very common along the edge of
the lagoon with up to 20-30
individuals within sight
simultaneously. They were also
encountered frequently in the
forested area. Fewer were
encountered around the coast.
One chick, only a few days old,
was observed in the large grassy
area opposite the inlet in the
central lagoon region. Four half-
grown chicks were also present
in the same area.

White-breasted Waterhen
Amaurornis phoenicurus

Local rangers have previously
recorded this species on the
islands and have seen adults with
chicks (Murray, pers. comm.). The

species has been on the islands at
least since 1998 when a specimen
was hit by a plane on the runway
and eventually identified in May
2000 by J. Reid (Johnstone and
Storr 2004). I observed single
birds on West Island at the
northern end of runway, in a
swampy area on the lagoon side
of West Island, as well as near the
Quarantine Station and just
south of North Park.

Pin-tailed Snipe Gallinago stenura
This species is considered an
uncommon visitor (Johnstone
and Storr 2004).

Little Curlew Numenius minutus
One bird seen near the airstrip
on West Island on 12 and 15
March 1983 and three birds on 26
March 1983 (Stokes et al. 1984).

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Recorded as an uncommon
visitor from both atolls
(Johnstone and Storr 2004). Park
staff regularly see this species on
the coastal side of South Island,
however, during my visit no
birds were seen there on 9 May
2003, the birds probably having
migrated north.

Common Redshank Tringa totanus
Johnstone and Storr (2004)
considers this species to be a rare
visitor.

Common Greenshank Tringa
nebularia

This species is considered an
uncommon visitor (Johnstone
and Storr 2004).

Common Sandpiper A ctitis
hypoleucos

This species is considered a
regular visitor (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

Ruddy Turnstone A renaria
interpres

Ruddy Turnstones are regular
visitors to the islands (Johnstone
and Storr 2004). Up to 12 birds in
breeding or part breeding
plumage were observed by me in
the central lagoon area near inlet
on Pulu Keeling National Park
and on the rocky eastern shore
near the inlet on both visits.

Sanderling Calidrisalba
This species is considered an
irregular visitor (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris
acuminata

One bird seen on West Island on
4 November 1993 (Carter 1994).

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris
ferruginea

J. Reid observed a single bird on
the shore of Pulu Keeling
National Park on 9 November
1999 (Johnstone & Storr 2004).

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus
himantopus

E. Alfred recorded a bird of the
nominate subspecies from Afro-
Eurasia at Bechet Besar swamp on
28 November 1958 (Johnstone
and Storr 2004). On 14 May 2003 1
observed one bird at the
southern end of runway in a
shallow salt-water pond. The

black nape was clearly visible
identifying it as the Australian
subspecies leucocephalus. Possibly
the same bird was observed
several times at the northern end
of the runway on my second visit.

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis
fulva

This species is considered an
irregular visitor (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola
One was seen on the airstrip on 4
November 1993 (Carter 1994).

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius
leschenaultii

This species is considered a
regular visitor (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus
One bird was seen on 17 October
1941 (Gibson-Hill 1950).

Oriental Pratincole Glareola
maldivarurn

This species is considered a
regular visitor (Johnstone and
Storr 2004). Park staff have noted
their annual visits in the late dry
season each year (Director of
National Parks 2004).

Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus
fuscus

A bird was banded as a chick at
Simo, Lapland, Finland on 13 July
1957 and recovered freshly dead,
presumedly killed by islanders,
on South Island at the end of
September 1959 (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

Common Tern Sterna hirundo
One of two birds present was
collected from the lagoon area
on the main atoll on 11 February
1941 (Gibson-Hill 1950).

Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus

One was collected from North
Keeling on 5 July 1941 (Gibson-
Hill 1950).

Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
The variation in nesting dates in
this species is interesting. In
January 1983 30-40 nests with
eggs were recorded (Stokes et ai
1984). Carter (1994) saw no
evidence of breeding in
November 1993. However, in
November 1999 120-150 pairs
with mainly 2-3 week old chicks
were recorded, while nests with
eggs were also present (Johnstone
and Storr 2004). Gibson-Hill
(1950) recorded the nesting
season here to be in November or
early December in 1940, although
he suggested that this species
might follow a nine to ten
month rotation instead of
twelve. During my visit
approximately 200-300 birds
roosted in the southeastern
corner of the lagoon in Pulu
Keeling National Park. At least
two nests contained eggs. Birds
are also occasionally recorded
from the waters around the
southern atoll (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

White-winged Black Tern
Chlidonias leucopterus

Considered an irregular visitor
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Common Noddy Anous stolidus
1 observed this numerous
species nesting in a variety of
situations on Pulu Keeling
National Park including on the
beach, amongst old coral in the
central lagoon area as well as in
trees. Nests in the lagoon area
contained eggs and one chick
was present on coral shingle on
the coastal edge of island. On
the second visit I observed eight
birds nesting in coconut trees
near the south end of West
Island. Gibson-Hill (1950) stated
that this species lays its eggs
from late December to early
March on the islands and
suggested the difference in
nesting times to other islands
near the same latitude may be
associated with changes in
ocean currents.

White Tern Gygis alba

1 observed approximately ten
birds at Trannies Beach on West
Island. One half grown chick was
observed in Calophyllurn
inophyllum on the broken end of
an upright branch, during the
first visit. A newly hatched chick
was present in July. These birds
were abundant in Pulu Keeling
National Park. Nests can be
found over most of the island
but generally away from other
nesting seabirds. A number of
birds were incubating eggs while
a couple of newly hatched chicks
were also observed.

Small numbers were nesting on
Home Island, and a few were
sighted on South and Horsburgh
Islands.

Lesser Noddy A nous tenuirostris
A report of up to 40 pairs of this
species breeding in Pulu Keeling
National Park in November 1999,
is detailed in Johnstone and Storr
(2004).

Christmas Island Imperial Pigeon
Ducula i vhartoni

Introduced between 1890-95.
Now considered extinct
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Buffy Fish-Owl Ketupa ketupa
One collected 23 October 1941
(Gibson-Hill 1950).

Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus
On 11 May 2003 I observed two
birds flying over and around the
brackish lake on Horsburgh
Island. This was the first record
for these islands.

Rainbow Bee-eater M crops ornatus
I heard and observed one bird
flying overhead at the northern
end of the runway on 29 June
2003. This bird, which appeared
to be a juvenile, was closely
observed in the tower area just
south of North Park on 12 and 13
July 2003. This was the first
record for the islands.

Dollarbird Eurystomus orientalis
There are two reports of single
birds from the islands (Johnstone
and Storr 2004).

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
simillirna

J. Reid observed a first year bird
on Horsburgh Island swamp on

15 November 1999 and another
bird on North Keeling Island on
23 November 1999 (Johnstone
and Storr 2004). There are also
unconfirmed reports such as a
wagtail with yellowish under¬
parts observed on Home Island in
December 1981 (Stokes et ai 1984).

On 9 May 2003 1 sighted one bird
along a shallow creek at
northern end of runway. This
bird was observed for about ten
minutes and as close as 4m. It was
olive green above and yellow
below (including underneath
throat). The crown was also olive
green. It had a very prominent
white eyebrow and white edging
to tail and black eye-stripe. The
wing feathers had lighter edging
but not prominent. The bird was
flushed several times to reveal
the olive green rump. It was
identified as a Yellow Wagtail in
the field using MacKinnon and
Phillips (1995). Using various
other references 1 have since
identified this bird as being a
male of the subspecies simillirna
using my field notes. The very
prominent white eyebrow and
yellow throat were the main
identifying features. The fact
that this bird did not exhibit the
bluish-slate crown typical of a
breeding male of this subspecies
may indicate a change to non¬
breeding plumage.

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
These birds have been sighted by
park staff in August and
September in most years since
1996 (Director of National Parks
2004).

Double-barred Finch Taeniopygia
bichenovii

Originally thought to be aviary
escapees this species is now
considered extinct on the islands
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Asian Golden Weaver Ploceus
hypoxanthus

This species was also probably
introduced around 1800 but is
now considered extinct
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Java Sparrow Padda oryzivora
The former owner of the Cocos
Keeling Islands, George Clunies-
Ross, introduced this species
around 1800. It is now considered
extinct (Johnstone and Storr
2004).

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

1 observed three birds during my
second visit. Two were seen near
the runway and one was
observed in the lagoon area
opposite the inlet in Pulu
Keeling National Park. This
species is considered a regular
visitor and local rangers have
often seen the species on Home
Island.

Christmas Island White-eye
Z osterops natalis

George Clunies-Ross introduced
these birds to Horsburgh Island
between 1885 and 1900 (Stokes et
al. 1984). They are now reasonably
common on this one island. I
observed approximately 25
individuals mainly in the
ironwood growing around the
small lagoon.

Island Thrush T urdus poliocephalus
erythropleurus

The former owner of the Cocos
Keeling Islands, George Clunies-
Ross, introduced this species
around 1800. It is now considered
extinct (Johnstone and Storr
2004).

UNCONFIRMED SPECIES
Duck species

Wood-Jones (1909) and Forbes
(1885) both refer to a flock of
ducks resident on West Island
but did not identify them.

Western Reef Heron Egrctta gularis
I observed an unusual bird on 27
June 2003 in the swampy region
around the towers, on the
northern end of West Island
(just south of North Park). This
all white bird had the two
distinct breeding plumes on the
nape present although the
darkish bill had a distinct
yellow/orange tinge at the base.
The legs did not appear very
dark but more grey/green and
the yellow colouring on the feet
extended part way up the tarsus.
The description and photo¬
graphs were shown to John
Darnell of the Western
Australian Museum who
suggested the possibility of the
Western Reef Heron Egretta
gularis. The description in Brown
et al (1982) of the white morph
of E. gularis dimorpha comes very
close to what I saw with “yellow
feet with yellow extending part
way up the tarsus” and “bill

black, similar to that of Little
Egret E.garzetta, but some yellow
at base”. It also states that the bill
is longer, heavier and down
curved at tip, not straight and
slender like garzetta. On careful
scrutiny of the photographs
that I managed to take, the bill
does appear longer and heavier
than expected for E.garzetta but
they were not clear enough to be
absolutely certain. In my mind it
does appear to be likely to be
this species. 1 am not confident
enough, however, with my
description to be certain.

During his visit to the islands
Julian Reid also saw a bird closely
matching the above description
but without the breeding
plumes. The bird recorded on
November 1999 on Pulu Blan had
“bright yellow bill, dark long legs
with yellow feet (noted in flight)
facial skin greenish and had a
longer neck than attendant Reef
and Little Egrets” (Johnstone and
Storr 2004).

From these observations 1 would
suggest that the egrets on Cocos
(Keeling) Islands require further
investigation. The procurement
of specimens would be the best
way to verify species/subspecies.

Hawk species

A small unidentified hawk was
seen on 29 May 1983 (Stokes et al.
1982).

Dove species

A possible dove species was seen
on Horsburgh Island in
November 1982 (Stokes et al 1982).

Common Koel E udynams
scolopacea

A bird recorded by J. Reid on
West Island on 14 November 1999
has been identified as this species
(Johnstone and Storr 2004).

Nightjar species

One unidentified bird seen on
the airstrip on 26 March 1983
(Stokes etal. 1982).

Edible-nest Swiftlet Collocalia
fuciphaga

On 13 May 2003 1 observed one
bird flying around the
quarantine station and adjacent
coconut palms. This bird was
observed for approximately ten
minutes with some good views. It
was very much smaller than the
fork-tailed swifts, which were
observed only two days
previously. Plumage was dark
brown all over with a paler
brown rump. Tail shallowly
forked. Using a field guide
(MacKinnon and Phillips 1995)
on site this bird was identified
from the Black-nest Swiftlet and
Mossy-nest Swiftlet by the pale
rump and shallowly forked tail.
These birds are notoriously
difficult to identify in the field,
however, and not being familiar
with this species 1 am not one
hundred percent certain of this
identification. If confirmed this
would be another first for the
islands.

White-throated Needletail
Hirundapus caudacutus

Twenty to thirty birds believed
to be this species seen over

Bechet Besar Lagoon on West
Island on 14 January 1982 and
two unidentified swifts seen
near West Island in June 1982
(Stokes et al. 1982).

Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus
borealis

A small brown passerine was
observed closely by a local at
North Park shortly before my
second visit. On being queried
and shown a field guide, an
Arctic Warbler was singled out as
the most likely species. Park staff
were unable to relocate the bird
and unfortunately the species
was not verified.

DISCUSSION

Of the confirmed 73 species of
birds recorded on the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands only 20 have
been recorded as breeding while
43 are recorded as vagrants or
irregular visitors. Of the 9
introduced species 6 are listed as
extinct on the islands (refer to
Table 1).

The small colony of Common
Noddies at the southern end of
West Island and the small White
Tern colonies at Trannies Beach
and Home Island are an
encouraging sign that bird
numbers may increase with
protection. However, poaching is
an ongoing problem on both
atolls. Even the northern atoll’s
remoteness and difficult access
does not deter poachers.

The rangers of Pulu Keeling
National Park face the
unenviable task of trying to

manage a National Park 24km
away by sea. Access is difficult,
the weather fickle and
legislation inadequate. The
number of shotgun shells
encountered on the Southern
Atoll during my visit was also an
indication of what the rangers
are up against. During my first
visit an immature Lesser
Frigatebird was handed in to
park staff with a shattered wing
joint apparently caused by a
shotgun pellet. I was told by park
staff that even the diminutive
White Tern is not safe from the
poachers gun. A shooting hide
was discovered on my last trip to
Horsburgh Island, adjacent to the
lagoon. There were many
shotgun shells in the area. This
hide was not there on the
previous visit and was
immediately dismantled by park
staff.

The lagoon habitat encountered
in both Pulu Keeling National
Park and the southern atoll
appears to be ideal for many
species of migratory wader,
however only Ruddy Turnstones
were encountered. Migratory
wader numbers would be
expected to be higher around
November to February when
these birds are more prevalent in
the Southern Hemisphere.

Vagrant seabirds and migratory
waders would be expected from
these islands, possibly blown off
course by the strong south-east
trade winds or cyclones. The
chances, however, of any small
vagrant species reaching such a
remote set of islands are still slim

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and the habitat may not be
suitable for many species. The
prospects of these displaced
species are probably bleak. The
Yellow-nosed Albatross and
Northern Giant Petrel for
example arrived at the islands in
extremely poor condition.
However, before 1941 the Rufous
Night Heron was considered a
vagrant but is now a common
resident. The White-breasted
Waterhen, a recent colonist of
the islands appears to be breeding
there and increasing in numbers.

Another factor to consider,
however, may be the Targe
number of frigatebirds around
the northern atoll. While on
Christmas Island I witnessed
several frigatebirds attack and
kill a smaller bird (identity
unknown due to distance out to
sea). Frigatebird aggressive
tendencies are well known and it
is likely that any small vagrant
species would quickly be
eliminated if it chanced to reach
Pulu Keeling National Park. This
may explain why all small
vagrant birds have been recorded
only from the southern atoll
where these aggressive species do
not occur. The lack of observers
on the northern atoll, however,
makes this difficult to
determine.

The breeding of seabirds on
North Keeling Island appeared to
be in variance with dates
indicated by other authors.
Breeding patterns vary from
locality to locality and the
latitude would have some
bearing on breeding times. The

local weather patterns such as
the onset of the monsoons
would probably be the final
determining factor in the
breeding times on these islands.

While birdwatchers visiting the
southern atoll may not be
overrun by a choice of birds the
possibility of finding something
new and unusual on these
beautiful and unique islands
makes birding the Cocos (Keeling)
Islands an enjoyable challenge.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1 would like to thank Parks
Australia for providing me with
the valuable opportunity to visit
Pulu Keeling National Park and
undertake the bird survey.
Special thanks to Wendy Murray,
Government Conservator, and
Ismail Macrae, Project Officer
who escorted me on my trips to
Pulu Keeling National Park.
Their help and guidance whilst
in Cocos (Keeling) Islands during
both visits proved invaluable.
Thanks also to Wendy Murray,
Tony Robinson, Tan Hopton, Ron
Johnstone, John Darnell, Andrew
Ley and John Dell in the
preparation of this paper.

REFERENCES

BROWN, L.H., URBAN, E.K. and
NEWMAN, K. 1982. The Birds of
Africa, vol 1 Academic Press Inc.
London.

CARTER, M.J. 1994. Birds of the
Cocos-Keeling Islands. Wingspan
15:14-18.

CHRISTIDIS, L and BOLES, W.E.
1994. The Taxonomy and Species of
Birds of Australia and its Territories.
RAOU Monograph 2, Royal
Australasian Ornithologists
Union, Melbourne.

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL
PARKS. 2004. Pulu Keeling National
Park Management Plan. Director of
National Parks.

FORBES, H.O. 1885. A Naturalist's
Wanderings in the Eastern
Archipelago. London.

GIBSON-HILL, C.A. 1948. The
Island of North Keeling. J. Malay
Br. Roy. Asiat. Soc. 21: 88-103.

GIBSON-HILL, C.A. 1949. The
Birds of the Cocos-Keeling Islands.
Ibis 91:221-243.

GIBSON-HILL, C.A. 1950. Papers
on the Fauna of the Cocos-Keeling
Islands. Bulletin of the Raffles
Museum 22: 211-270.

JONSTONE, R.E. and STORR, G.M.
2004. Appendix B Annotated
Checklist of Birds from Cocos-
Keeling Islands, pp 477-496 In*.
The Handbook of Western
Australian Birds Vol. 2. Passerines:
Blue-winged Pitta to Goldfinch.
Western Australian Museum,
Perth.

MACKINNON, J. and PHILLIPS.
K.1995. A Field Guide to The Birds of
Borneo Sumatra, Java and Bali.
Oxford University Press Inc, New
York.

MARCHANT, S. and HIGGENS, P.J.
(Editors). 1990. Handbook of
Australian, New Zealand and
Antarctic Birds, Vol. 1. Oxford
University Press: Melbourne.

PARKS AUSTRALIA 1999. Pulu
Keeling National Park Plan of
Management. Parks Australia.

REID, J.R.W. 2000. Survey of the
Buff-banded Rail (Rallus philippensis
andrewsi) in Pulu Keeling National
Park, Cocos Islands, Indian Ocean.
Report to Parks Australia North.

STOKES, T. 1982. Birds of the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean.
Australian National Parks Service
Internal Report.

STOKES, T. 1994. An Update on
Birds of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
In: Ecology and Geomorphology of the
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, (Ed C.D.
Woodroffe). Atoll Research
Bulletin Nos 399-414. National
Museum of Natural History,
Sminthonian Institution :
Washington.

STOKES, T., SHEILS, W. and
DUNN, K. 1984. Birds of the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean.
Emu 84: 23-28.

STOKES, T. and GOH, P. 1987.
Records of Herald Petrels and the
Christmas Island Frigatebird from
North Keeling Island, Indian
Ocean. The Australian Bird
Watcher 12:132-133.
WOOD-JONES, F. 1909. Fauna of
the Cocos-Keeling Atoll. Proc. Zool.
Soc. Lond. 1909:132-159.

APPRAISING VERTEBRATE DIVERSITY ON
BONAPARTE ISLANDS, KIMBERLEY, WESTERN

AUSTRALIA

By RICHOW

Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA 6986

LINC SCHMITT

School of Anatomy and Human Biology, The University of Western
Australia, Crawley, WA 6009

ROY TEALE

Biota Environmental Sciences, 14 View Street, North Perth, WA 6006

and MARK COWAN

CALM, Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie, WA 6430

ABSTRACT

Three expeditions examining 35 islands in the Bonaparte
Archipelago along the northwest Kimberley coast were
undertaken between August 2002 and June 2005. These
documented numerous new records of mammal and reptile
species for the islands with the fauna of 27 islands being
examined for the first time. Mammals were usually
confined to the larger islands adjacent to the mainland and
only on East Montalivet and Coronation were populations
recorded on more distant islands. Two mammal species were
trapped on an unnamed island that was only 23 ha in
extent. Reptiles occurred on all islands examined from the
smallest (4ha Low Rocks) to the largest (18121 ha Bigge
Island). The 29 reptile species recorded represent several new
records for the Bonaparte Archipelago and includes new
localities for many species. Populations of Olive Pythons
were recorded on islands as small as 73ha. No frogs were
recorded although climatic conditions and the poor wet
seasons preceding the expeditions were not conducive to
amphibian activity.

INTRODUCTION
Kimberley islands have been
isolated from the mainland for
up to 10 000 years as a result of
increasing sea levels after the last

Pleistocene glacial maximum at
about 18 000 years before
present (Nix and Kalma 1972,
Hopper et al. 1996). Such
extended periods of isolation of

islands elsewhere has lead to
many populations differ¬
entiating into new taxa as
evidenced by the islands of the
Indonesian archipelago, lying
immediately to the north of the
Kimberley coast (Schmitt et al.
1995, Kitchener and Suyanto
1996), Pi 1 bar a coastal islands
(Abbott and Burbidge 1995,
Smith 1976) and Bernier, Dorre
and the Houtman Abrolhos off
the west coast (Ride and
Tyndale-Biscoe 1962; How et al.
2004).

The documentation of the
mammals, birds, amphibians, and
reptiles of the Kimberley region
of Western Australia has pro¬
gressed at very different rates.
Storr (1980) regarded the quarter
century beginning in 1886 as the
‘golden age’ of Kimberley
ornithology. All but a few of the
birds now known from the
region were made known to
science in that period. The first,
and relatively complete, list of
mammals from the Kimberley
was compiled by Dahl (1897)
within two decades of the first
European exploration of the
region. While our understanding
of the diversity of the birds and
mammals of the Kimberley was
largely complete by the end of
the 19 th Century, an under¬
standing of the herpetofauna
had barely begun. Most of the
herpetofauna was described in
the 20 th Century and over a third
has been described since 1960.

The extensive array of biological
surveys conducted during the
1970’s (Miles and Burbidge 1975;

Kabay and Burbidge 1977;
Kitchener 1978; Burbidge and
McKenzie 1978; Western
Australian Museum 1981) added
substantially to our under¬
standing of the distribution of
the north Kimberley vertebrate
fauna. These surveys lead to a far
better understanding of the
composition, habitat preferences
and biogeography (McKenzie
1981) of most vertebrate groups
of this tropical area, particularly
mammals, and permitted a
reappraisal of the taxonomy of
numerous species (Kitchener and
Humphreys 1986, Kitchener and
Sanson 1978, Kitchener and
Caputi 1988, Kitchener 1976,1989,
Storr 1975). The major rainforest
survey of the late 1980s
(McKenzie et al. 1991) and
continued sampling activity in
the region has shown that the
area covered by the 1:250 000
map sheets of Cambridge Gulf,
Montague Sound and Prince
Regent in the north Kimberley
are the richest for frogs,
mammals and reptiles in all
Western Australia (How and
Cowan 2006).

In contrast, the fauna of
Kimberley islands is poorly
documented and there has been
only one published survey of
these islands (Burbidge and
McKenzie 1978). This reported on
some 20 islands in the Bonaparte
Archipelagos of the northwest
Kimberley that were surveyed for
between 1 and 11 days. Islands in
the Buccaneer Archipelago in the
west Kimberley were also
surveyed by government

biologists briefly between 1980
and 1982 and results remain
mostly un-published (but see
Abbott and Burbidge 1995),
however, the fauna of Koolan
Island, also in the Buccaneer
archipelago, has been
documented in detail by
McKenzie et ai (1995). Information
gathered on these island surveys,
later visitations by individuals
and the major rainforest survey
(McKenzie et al. 1991) as well as
specimens in the collections of
the Western Australian Museum,
indicate that at least 5 frog, 34
mammal and 58 reptile species are
present on the offshore islands
along the Kimberley coast. This is
in marked contrast with the 26
frogs, 72 mammals and 109
reptiles known from adjacent
areas of the mainland. None of
the offshore island populations
have been examined systemati¬
cally and all populations, except
Ramphotyphlops sp. and L erista
praefrontalis, have been referred to
mainland taxa in published
reports.

Our understanding of the
identity of vertebrate faunas on
the Kimberley islands also stands
in sharp contrast with the
detailed knowledge of island
archipelagos off the Pilbara and
western and southern coasts of
Western Australia, all of which
have been separated from the
mainland for similar periods of
time. Many of Western Australia's
more southern islands have
vertebrate populations that are
distinctive at the subspecific
level, and in some cases at the

species level, from populations on
the adjacent mainland. All
endemic insular taxa are
recognised as threatened fauna
either by legislation (Government
of Western Australia 2005) or by
Department of Conservation and
Land Management authorities
under the Priority Species List.
This paper reports on the
outcomes of three expeditions to
35 Kimberley islands in the
Bonaparte Archipelago under¬
taken between August 2002 and
June 2005. These surveys were
designed to make collections and
document the frogs, mammals
and reptiles from selected islands
in order to determine the
morphological and genetic
attributes of island and main¬
land populations. These studies
will permit an evaluation of the
systematic status of many insular
populations and contrast these
data with published information
available on vertebrates from
cognate archipelagos off the
Pilbara and west coast of Western
Australia. The project will also
appraise the evolutionary pro¬
cesses involved in differentiating
island forms and assist in
determining whether popu¬
lations are relictual or derived
from colonisers from adjacent
islands or the mainland.

ISLANDS AND METHODS

Islands were selected on the basis
of their geographic location with
islands representing those both
distant from and adjacent to the
mainland being selected.

I Zt’MTE IZS’V 125’,WE I26F-

3 ^
.18
P-< CM

1. Map of island and mainland locations sampled during the survey of the Bonaparte Archipelago between 2002 and

Likewise, islands of different
sizes were selected as well as those
consisting of the main sandstone,
volcanic or laterite geological
substrates. Wherever possible, a
wide variety of vegetation types
were sampled on each island
with both woodlands and vine
forest being targeted.

Thirty-five islands were
examined over the three
expeditions along with two
locations on the mainland; one
with three sites adjacent to Scott
Strait during the June 2004
survey, the other with three sites
opposite Glauert and Boongaree
Islands, during the June 2005
survey. For each of these
locations, the data for the sites
have been aggregated.

The islands sampled are shown in
Figure 1, while their area, broad
geographical co-ordinates,
principal geological formations
and duration of sampling are
presented in Table 1. Nine of the
islands sampled during this
project [South West Osborn,
Middle Osborn, Carlia, Low
Rocks, East Montalivet, South
Maret, Bigge, Coronation,
Boongaree] were also sampled in
the early 1970s (Burbidge and
McKenzie 1978) with specific
information on their geology,
vegetation and vertebrate fauna
presented then. On South West
Osborn, Bigge and Boongaree
Islands, sampling during this
survey was carried out on both
volcanic and sandstone
substrates, while on Carlia Island
only sandstone substrates were
sampled.

Previously assessed distributional
data for the amphibians, reptiles
and mammals were obtained
from the literature (Burbidge
and McKenzie 1978; Abbott and
Burbidge 1995) and the State's
collections housed in the WA
Museum.

General rainfall and climate
patterns in the northwest
Kimberley are presented in
Burbidge and McKenzie (1978), an
area characterized typically by a
‘wet’ season extending from
December to April and a 'dry'
season from May to November.
Rainfall averages over 1500mm
at Mitchell Plateau and is
concentrated in the ‘wet’ season.
During the present expeditions,
the wet season of early 2002 was
one of the driest on record, and
those for 2004 and 2005 were
also well below average.

The charter vessel 'Barra B’ was
used as a base for visitation to all
islands sampled. Access to the
islands was by outboard
runabout and predicated by both
shoreline type, weather
conditions and tidal activity that
ranged up to ten metres.

SAMPLING

Sampling occurred on three
separate expeditions between 25
August - 6 September 2002, 26
May - 8 June 2004 and 19 May - 3
June 2005.

On each island where one or more
nights trapping occurred (Table 1),
sample sites were trapped using a
line of between 20 and 25 Elliott
Type A traps, baited with

universal bait. These were set
around 10 metres apart. A few
Elliott Type B traps were used on
some lines and wire mesh
Tomahawk cat traps were also
employed where sampling
continued for several days and
there was the prospect of catching
larger mammals. Traps were
checked during the morning each
day. No concerted effort was made
to trap bats by mist netting or
harp trapping. Opportunistic
collecting of vertebrates was
undertaken on all islands visited
and involved active searching in
litter and dead wood as well as
under rocks and logs. Head-
torching for nocturnal species was
conducted on several islands and
small pitfall traps were employed
on Cassini, Descartes, North Maret,
Buffon Islands and the mainland
opposite Scott Strait.

Voucher specimens were taken
of all taxa for use in later
analyses of morphological and
genetic variation of vertebrates
from the Bonaparte archipelago.
Numerous individuals, particu¬
larly mammals, were released
after weighing and removal of
tail or ear tip for later genetic
examination.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Sampling on the islands and
adjacent mainland sites during
the three expeditions
documented 2 amphibian, 12
mammal and 29 reptile species.

AMPHIBIANS

Two species of frogs were

collected, L itoria copelcindi, L.
meiriana, both from the
mainland on Prince Regent
Nature Reserve adjacent to
Glauert Island. None of the
islands examined had frogs
present and a general lack of
freestanding water on the vast
majority of islands and the 'poor'
wet seasons associated with the
sampling time probably account
for this low documentation of
amphibians.

Previous surveys have identified
four species of frog in the
Bonaparte Archipelago, Notaden
weigeli, Litoria rubella and L.
inermis from Bigge Island and
Cyclorana sp. from Katers Island
(Smith and Johnstone 1978).

Frogs are particularly poor
survivors on small islands and
ineffective dispersers across sea-
barriers.

MAMMALS

Mammals were collected from 11
of the islands and the two
mainland locations during the
survey (Table 2). In total, 394
individuals of twelve species
were captured and identified.
The sighting of a small rock
wallaby on Boongaree Island
probably represents the
previously recorded and
collected Petrogale burbidgei, while
scats and diggings of echidna,
Tachyglossus aculeatus, were very
common on Boongaree but only
one positive sighting was made.

None of the species recorded by
this project are new records for
mammals on the Bonaparte

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Archipelago, although these
findings represent the first
records of mammals for Cassini,
Capstan, East Mon tali vet,
‘unnamed’ and Purrungku
Islands. The documentation of
M elornys burtoni and Taphozous
georgianus on Coronation and
Zyzomys woodivardi on Carlia
Islands are also first records.

The capture of two individuals
of Z. woodivardi on Coronation
Island will allow a thorough
examination of the systematic
identity of this aberrant
population. McKenzie et al. (1978)
identified this population as
‘unusually large’ and
distinctively coloured Zyzomys
argurus when compared to
adjacent mainland populations
and stated that the population
warranted further systematic
examination. Subsequent
examination of those
individuals by Norah Cooper
(pers comm.) clearly
demonstrates that they are a
small form of Z. woodivardi. The
two lsoodon species were recorded
only on mainland sampling
locations. One mummified
skeleton of Pteropus scapulatus
was located on Cassini Island and
probably represents a vagrant, as
no roosting site was evident in
the very low Eucalypt woodland
that occupies the south-eastern
part of the island.

The Federal Government
recently listed the Northern
Quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus, as a
threatened taxon. This species
remains relatively widespread
and abundant in the northwest

Table 2. Mammal individuals captured (including those vouchered in brackets) from the Bonaparte Archipelago surveys
2002-2005 and the confirmed sightings (S) of larger species.

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Zyzomys argurus 26(23) 12(11) 3(2) 41(36)

Pteropus scapulatus 1(1) 1(1)

Vespadelus douglasorum 1(1) 1(1)

Taphozousgeorgianus 6(6) 2(2) 6(6)

Kimberley and occurs on several
larger near-shore islands (Abbott
and Burbidge 1995). During the
current expeditions there were
six instances of the Northern
Quoll being captured in traps
with partially eaten rodent
species that indicate the quolls
entered the traps in order to eat
the rodent. The rodents involved
were Rattus tunneyi , Z yzomys
argurus and Z. woodwardi.

Larger islands generally had more
species while smaller islands
usually lacked mammal
populations, although of
particular interest is the
discovery of two mammal species
on 'unnamed' island in Scott
Straight. This island is just over
23 hectares and its ability to
support both Rattus tunneyi and
Mesembriomys macrurus is
surprising. Four islands with
mammal species, Carlia,
Boongaree, Capstan and
Purrungku, are separated from
the mainland by less than 100
metres of water and the latter
two may be connected to the
mainland at extreme spring low
tides. It is remarkable that a
population of Z yzomys was found
on East Montalivet, given its
large distance from the mainland
(30 km), as there appears little
likelihood that this population
represents anything other than a
long-isolated relictual one.
Augustus Island is the only
offshore location where both
species of Z yzomys co-occur and
gives credence to the statement
that ‘Wetter conditions at the
time of isolation of the

Kimberley islands may have
influenced the distribution of
the two species of Z yzomys’
(McKenzie et al. 1978).

The survey of the Bonaparte
Archipelago in the early 1970s
(McKenzie et al. 1978) recorded 22
native mammal species from 20
islands. Foremost amongst the
islands for mammal diversity was
Augustus Island, the largest, on
which 11 species were recorded,
while Bigge had eight species and
Boongaree nine. Although six
days were spent sampling on
Bigge during the present project,
only two species of mammal
were recorded (Table 2). No
attempt was made to
systematically sample bats
throughout the expeditions and
these accounted for 5 of the
native species recorded by
McKenzie et al. (1978).

There has been continuing
interest in the extinction rates of
Australian mammal species in
the temperate and arid areas of
the continent. It has been
postulated that mammals in a
‘critical weight range' of 35g-
5.5kg have higher extinction
rates than those outside this
range (Burbidge and McKenzie
1989). However, mammals that
are both smaller and larger than
those in the ‘critical weight
range’ do not appear to persist
well on offshore Kimberley
Islands. The North Kimberley
bioregion of Western Australia is
one of the few areas where the
original mammal fauna remains
intact with no recorded
extinctions. Excluding bats and

101

all exotic species, one of the five
(20%) ground mammals above
the critical weight range in the
North Kimberley bioregion
[Canis lupus] has been recorded
on several islands of the
Bonaparte Archipelago and two
of the eight (25%) mammals
below the critical weight range*
are also known on Bonaparte
islands f Pseudantechinus ningbing
on Augustus and South
Heywood and Pseudomys
delicatulus on Bigge]. The six
other smaller mammal species
known from the North
Kimberley mainland but not the
islands are, Planigale maculata, P.
ingrami, Sminthopsis virginae, S.
butleri, Leggadina lakedoivncnsis
and Pseudomys laborifex
(Kitchener et al 1981, McKenzie et
al. 1975). Fourteen of the 21 (66%)
terrestrial mainland North
Kimberley mammals within the
critical weight range* occur on
Bonaparte islands (McKenzie et al.
1978). Given the supposedly
greater persistence amongst
smaller mammal species in other
parts of mainland Australia, it is
surprising that so few survive on
Bonaparte islands compared with
those known from the adjacent
north Kimberley mainland. A
recent re-examination of the
purported higher extinction
rates amongst ‘critical weight
range' mammals (Cardillo and
Bromham 2001) suggests that this
is not supported statistically and
indicates a more significant issue
is the higher persistence of
smaller mammal species across
mainland Australia in the face of
a general decline in mammal

species. Such is not the case in
the Bonaparte Archipelago.

The present and previous island
surveys in the Kimberley occupied
limited timeframes and were
often constrained by the difficult
and remote terrain. Intensive
ecological studies of the Mitchell
Plateau mammal fauna in the
north Kimberley (Bradley et al.
1987) showed the advantages of a
longer-term seasonal and habitat
focussed approach to regional
survey by adding several species to
the previously known vertebrate
assemblages of an intensively
sampled mainland location
(Kitchener et al. 1981). It is highly
probable that additional species of
mammals will be located on
islands that have already been
sampled as evidenced by the
discovery of Z. ivoodivardi on Hast
Montalivet and several additional
species recorded for Bigge by a
CALM survey in 2003. The long
occupancy of Koolan Island for
mining purposes has also shown
that continued sampling and
observation results in higher
diversity of mammals with 18
mammals now known to occur
there.

REPTILES

Reptile species were recorded on
all 35 islands and the two
adjacent mainland locations.
None of the 29 species recorded
were found only at the mainland
locations, which are omitted
from Table 3. All 1200
individuals captured and
identified had tissue sampled.
These data represent the first

102

sampling of reptiles on Berthier,
Bonaparte, Buffon, Capstan,
Cassini, Colbert, Corneille,
Descartes, Don, Glauert, Grey,
Hedley, Keraudren, Kidney, La
Fontaine, Low Rocks, McCulloch,
North Maret, Parry, Purrungku,
South Maret, Steep Head,
‘unnamed’, Walker, West
Mon tali vet, Whitley and
Woodward Islands.

Several species were collected
that had not previously been
recorded from islands in the
Bonaparte Archipelago,

Heteronotia planiceps ,

Cyclodomorphus maximus , Lcrista
sp., Tiliqua scincoides, and
Dendrelaphis punctulata (Smith
and Johnstone 1978; WA Museum
records). All these taxa have been
recorded from islands in the
Buccaneer Archipelago but
represent the first recorded
island populations in the
Bonaparte Archipelago. Clearly,
there is still need for detailed
biodiversity survey initiatives on
islands in this diverse
archipelago.

One of the most important
‘finds’ of the sampling has been
the discovery of an undescribed
Lerista species from Berthier
Island. The closest taxon to this
in the WA Museum collections is
Lerista praefrontalis, a unique
population on King Hall Island
in the Buccaneer Archipelago.
The Lerista specimens from
Berthier Island are in need of
detailed systematic assessment
(Maryan pers comm.). Offshore
island populations of the Olive
Python Liasis olivaceus, were

discovered on Descartes (159 ha)
and Don (73 ha) Islands,
indicating the species is far more
widespread than previously
thought and that it can persist
on relatively small islands in the
absence of mammals; presumably
both reptiles and birds comprise
their entire diet. The King Brown
or Mulga Snake, Pseudechis
australis, was captured on several
islands (Table 3) and were
noticeably different in
patterning from mainland forms.
One individual of this species
was captured in a trap and
regurgitated a recently killed
Ctenotus inornatus, also indicating
willingness by this predator to
enter traps to feed on prey.
Forty-two reptile species were
recorded from the Bonaparte
archipelago islands by Smith and
Johnstone (1978) during the
major survey of the early 1970s,
however their data included
four species only located on
Koolan Island, in the Buccaneer
Archipelago. The lower number
of reptile species on islands
compared to adjacent mainland
locations (Storr and Smith 1975;
Smith and Johnstone 1981) may
reflect a true impoverishment of
island reptile faunas or a
decreased sampling effort on
islands. Inadequate sampling
effort is best exemplified by the
fact that 13 sampling days on
Augustus Island, covering 19 023
hectares, yielded 21 reptile
species, while long-term records
from Koolan Island, covering just
2580 hectares, yielded 35 reptile
taxa (McKenzie et al. 1995).

103

Table 3. Reptiles recorded from islands sampled in the Bonaparte Archipelago
between August 2002 and June 2003.

GENUS

SPECIES

Diporiphora

superba

Pogona

microlepidota

Gehyra

nana

Gehyra

xenopus

Heteronotia

binoei

Heteronotia

planiceps

Oedura

obscura

Oedura

rhomb if era

Delma

borea

Lialis

burtonis

Carl i a

johnstonei

Carl i a

sp.

Carlia

triacantha

Cryptoblepharus

megastictus

Cry ptoble pharus

plagiocephalus

Ctenotus

inornatus

Cyclodomorphus

maximus

Glaphyromorphus

iso le pis

Lerista

sp.

Lerista

tvalkeri

Morethia

ruficauda

Notoscincus

ornatus

Tiliqua

scincoides

Varanus

acanthurus

Varanus

glauerti

Antaresia

children i

Liasis

olivaceus

Dendrelaphis

punctulata

Pseudechis

australis

TOTALTAXA

104

X X

X XXX
X X
X X

X X

X X
X

X X

XXXXXXXXX XXX

X X

XXX
X X

X X
X

X X

XXX

X X

X X
X

X X

X X X X X
XXX

873358511 18 12 1338224631

105

CONCLUSIONS

While the three expeditions to
numerous islands in the
Bonaparte Archipelago have
provided important new records
of species on islands, their
vertebrate fauna remain poorly
documented when compared to
Koolan Island in the adjacent
Buccaneer Archipelago. Most
island populations have not been
evaluated systematically and all
have the potential to provide
important new information on
evolutionary effects of isolation
since the Pleistocene. Future
molecular studies of island
populations will document
genetic variability though the
Archipelago and contrast that
with adjacent mainland
populations as well as examine
the effect of distance from
potential source populations.

It has been postulated that the
recent population declines of
several vertebrate groups in
tropical Australia are the result
of environmental modifications
caused by climate change and
lowered groundwater levels
(Braithwaite and Muller 1997).
This has been questioned by
Woinarski et ai (2001) who
suggested a combination of
habitat modification resulting
from grazing, altered fire regimes,
particularly changing the
shrublayer of tropical savannas,
as well as predation from feral
cats was probably responsible.
There is growing evidence that
there are long-term changes
occurring in mammal popu¬
lations in the remote Kimberley

mainland in Western Australia
(Kenneally et al. 2003; Lochman
pers comm.).

Islands are likely to be the
refugia of the same or closely
related taxa on the mainland but
are less subjected to
anthropogenic influences such
as changed fire regimes, cattle
grazing and feral cat predation.
However, the marked increase in
ecotourism of the region has the
potential to dramatically alter
island species richness. Anecdotal
evidence from a professional
fisherman suggests there has
been a three-fold increase in the
number of tour boats cruising
the Kimberley coast since 2002
(Macintosh pers comm.).

The most significant threat to
island populations may come
from the colonisation of the
Kimberley by Bufo marinus, the
Cane Toad. This threat will occur
either naturally, by the
colonisation of the islands by
this invasive pest, or by mis¬
guided introductions to islands
of mainland forms that are
perceived to be threatened by
the spread of Bufo across the
mainland.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Numerous people provided
generously of their time to help
in the success of the three
expeditions. We are grateful to
Mark Harvey, Clay Bryce, Ron
Johnstone, Norah Cooper and
Grant Lodge for their
enthusiastic help and assistance
over one or several of the

106

expeditions and to Kevin
Kenneally for his continued
support of these island
biodiversity initiatives. The
Western Australian Museum
currently works under a CALM
Permit No SF004816 to collect
fauna and has ethics approval
through the CALM Animal
Ethics Committee [License to Use
Animals for Scientific Purposes No.
U18/2005] to take tissue from
individuals. Comments by the
editor and referee were
insightful and also greatly
improved the manuscript.

Johnno Goonak of the
Wunambal-Gambera
Corporation, the indigenous
owners of the land over which
the survey was undertaken,
provided permission to conduct
the work and offered support.

Museum Honorary Associate Jeff
Lodge and his wife Di organised
the logistics of working in the
northwest Kimberley and were
the driving forces behind us
being able to mount the
expeditions. They also brought
their 7-metre boat the ‘Sea Eagle'
to all islands and provided
specialist and invaluable support
to the expeditions. The skipper
of the 17m 'Barra B', Robbie
Macintosh, and his able crew of
Mark Ainsworth, David Gittings
and Roxy Wicherts were
exceptional in providing for all
the expeditions requests and
needs. Their decades of ex¬
perience in Barramundi fishing
around the Kimberley coastline
was essential to the productivity
and success of the expeditions.

The ongoing support and assist¬
ance of Norah Cooper and Brad
Maryan is greatly appreci-ated as
they provided crucial expertise
in identifying the variety of
island forms of mammals and
reptiles, respectively.

REFERENCES

ABBOTT, 1. and BURBIDGE, A. A.
1995. The occurrence of mammal
species on the islands of Australia:
a summary of existing knowledge.
CALM Science, 1: 259-324.

BRADLEY, A.J., KEMPER, C.M.,
KITCHENER, D.J., HUMPHREYS,
W.F. and HOW, R.A. 1987. Small
mammals of the Mitchell Plateau
Region, Kimberley, Western
Australia. Australian Wildlife
Research, 14: 397-413.
BRAITHWAITE, R and MULLER,
W.J. 1997. Rainfall groundwater
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extinctions of Australian tropical
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BURBIDGE, A. A. and McKENZIE,
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BURBIDGE, A. A. and McKENZIE,
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Biological Conservation, 50:143-198.

CARDILLO, M. and BROMHAM, L.
2001. Body size and risk of
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HOPPER. S. D., HARVEY, M. S.,
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MAIN B. Y. 1996. The Western
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331-374.

KITCHENER, D.J. and CAPUTI, N.
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110

FLORISTICS OF THE SHARK BAY WORLD HERITAGE
SITE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA: VEGETATION AND
FLORA OF 34 SMALL ISLANDS

By G.J. KEIGHERY 1 , J.J. ALFORD 1 , M.E. TRUDGEN 2 and W.R. MUIR 1
‘Dept Conservation and Land Management, W.A.Wildlife Research
Centre, P.O. Box 5I,Wanneroo, 6065.

Consultant Botanist, 90 Arkwell Street, Willagee, 6156.

ABSTRACT

Thirty-four small islands within the Freycinet Estuary,
Freycinet Reach and Disappointment Reach of the Shark
Bay World Heritage area were surveyed for vegetation and
flora. Only Eagle and “South West” Eagle Islands had been
previously studied. All the other islands were surveyed for
the first time during this survey.

Island areas ranged from <0.1 to 161 hectares. Five islands
(North Smith, Briggs Rocks, two of the Wild Islets and
Smith Rocks) lacked any vascular plants. Heath, shrublands
and herbfields were the common vegetation formations.

A combined total of 169 species (135 native and 34
naturalised) of vascular plants were recorded. The largest
families recorded were the Poaceac (22 species), Asteraceae
(20 species) and Chenopodiaceae (18 species). The largest
islands, Salutation, Baudin and Three Bays, supported 109,
92 and 80 species respectively. The most ubiquitous species
was Nitraria billardierei. One species, Calandrinia sp. nov. (J.
Alford 1376) has only been recorded from these islands.

Naturalised species were reasonably common, especially
on islands mined for guano. Guano mining appears to have
occurred on 15 islands (North and South Smith, Three Bays,
North and South Guano, Maryanne, North and South
Depuch, Freycinet, White, Charlie, North and South
Kangaroo, Lefebre and Friday) and probably on Wild-
Central Islet and Double island. The vegetation has not
recovered from this activity.

INTRODUCTION
Most of the islands (Salutation,
Three Bays, North and South
Guano, Maryanne, Freycinet,
Baudin, White, Wild, Double,

Sunday, Egg, and Pelican) are part
of Reserve 26004 for
Conservation of Flora and Fauna
and collection of Guano. Friday
and Charlie Islands are separate

111

Cap« P*ron North

Long PI

DAMPIER S'
ROAD

Figure 1. Location of islands surveyed, with the exception of Meade, Sunday and

Egg-

112

reserves for the Conservation of
Flora and Fauna. All of the fore
mentioned islands and most of
the remainder are proposed to
become nature reserves, within
the Shark Bay World Heritage
Area.

The purpose of this report is to
provide baseline data on the
floristics of these islands. All the
islands were visited in Spring
1989 or 1997 and surveyed where
possible by foot traverse. A
complete list of flora present was
obtained. Structural vegetation
forms were mapped, but an
absence of aerial photographs
meant that these were only
collated as hand drawn maps,
presented with a set of
photographs in a report to the
Australian Heritage Commission.
Voucher collections are
deposited in PERTH Herbarium.

Several of the islands are
unnamed. In general they are
named informally in this
publication in relation to the
nearest named island ie-. NW
(North-West) or SW (South-
West).

A general location map of all the
islands, except for Sunday, Meade
and Egj r (which lie just off the
east shore of Dirk Hnrtog Island)
is given in Figure 1. A total
vascular flora list is presented in
Table 1 with the records for each
island under the numbering
system listed below.

ISLAND BY ISLAND FLORA AND
VEGETATION DESCRIPTIONS:

All the islands are ordered from

south to north. The number of
vascular plants recorded is
summarised. The area of the
island is given, normally from
that listed in the CALM
terrestrial reserves management
plan (Hancock et al. 2000) to high
water mark. However, the area of
all islands was also estimated
from the CALM lands and survey
coastal data set and where there
was no area available these
estimates are shown in
parenthesis. Most of the islands
have boulder slopes and beaches,
which make area estimates above
high water mark difficult.
Vegetation communities present
are summarised and a complete
flora list presented in Table 1.

1. SOUTH SMITH ISLAND
26° 35 S 113° 43* E

Number of plant species
recorded: 3,0 aliens.

Area: 1.350 ha.

Vegetation:

The island consists of a rugged
limestone boulder slope with
guano rich pockets of sand.
Nitraria billcirdierei shrubland is
the only vegetation formation
present.

2. NORTH SMITH ISLAND
26° 35 S 113° 43'E

Number of plant species
recorded: 0.

Area: 891m 2 .

Vegetation:

A limestone rock- no vegetation
recorded.

3. THREE BAYS ISLAND
26° 33* S 113° 39’ E

113

Number of species recorded 80,12
aliens.

Area: 5.2609 ha.

Vegetation:

Low sand covered island with
sandy beaches, backed by
grasslands of Spinifex longifolius,
then a band of Nitraria billardierei
shrubs. The remainder of the
island is covered with low heath
of varying composition
depending on depth of the sand
over the limestone. Limestone
outcrops have a heath
dominated by Atriplex cinerea or
Sarcosternma viminale. Sandy areas
have heath dominated by
Scaevola crassifolia, with mixtures
of Nitraria billardierei, Diplolaena
grandiflora, Rhagodia latifolia and
Carpobrotus aff. rossii (Keighery &
Gibson 1615).

Seabird rookeries on the
northern end of the island have
herbfields of Calandrinia
polyandra, and populations of the
weeds * Sisymbrium erysimoides,
*Hordeum leporinum ,

*Chenopodium murale and
*Spergularia diandra.

4. “SOUTH GUANO” ISLAND
26° 32’ 46" S 113° 41’ 25"E
Number of plant species
recorded: 22, 3 aliens.

Area: 450 m 2 .

Vegetation:

A small island consisting of a
“plateau” with surrounding talus
of rugged limestone. Shallow
dark brown sandy loam with
white stones, pebbles and shells
over limestone. A tall shrubland
of Nitraria billardierei is found on
the talus slopes. The plateau has

herbfields of Calandrinia
polyandra or *Chenopodium
murale with patches of Bromus
arenarius and emergent L avatera
pleibea var tojnentosa, with a small
area of very low succulent
shrubland dominated by
Disphyma crassifolium. These
plateau vegetation formations
result from the loss of Nitraria
shrubland due to guano mining.

5. “NORTH GUANO” ISLAND
26° 33* 15" S 113° 41’ 25"E
Number of plant species: 17, 3
aliens.

Area: 405 m 2 .

Vegetation:

An island consisting of a central
plateau, ledge like areas and steep
talus slopes surrounding the
plateau. The talus slopes have
Nitraria billardierei shrubland.
Ledges have a prostrate closed
succulent shrubland of Disphyma
crassifolium. The plateau area is
dominated by a grassland of
Setaria dielsii and Bromus arenarius
with two small areas dominated
by a low succulent shrubland of
Carpobrotus aff. rossii (Keighery &
Gibson 1615). These plateau
vegetation formations result
from guano mining and were
probably Nitraria shrubland.

6. “LITTLE GUANO” ROCK
26° 33' 15" S, 113° 41’ 34"E
Number of plant species
recorded: 8,0 aliens.

Area: 405 m 2 .

Vegetation:

Located approximately 200
metres east of North Guano

114

Island. This island is a rugged
limestone rock with Nitraria
billardierei shrubland to 1.5
metres. The population of the
succulent herb, Calandrinia
polyandra on this island has
plants with either pink or white
flowers in equal numbers.

7. SALUTATION ISLAND
26° 32' S 113° 46' E
Number of plant species
recorded: 109,14 aliens.

Area: 161.8743 ha.

Vegetation:

The largest island of the group, is
covered by extensive areas of
sand.

Around the island’s periphery,
on sandy beaches a low heath of
Calocephalus brownii and/or
Sporobolus virginicus grassland
occurs. Behind the strand line on
the primary dunes there is
normally a shrubland of Nitraria
billardierei over Frankenia
pauciflora low shrubs or a
Sporobolus virginicus grassland. On
beaches with outcropping
limestone there is a narrow band
of succulent shrubland at the
waters edge consisting of
Halosarcia halocncmoides and H.
indica. These areas are backed by
a low heath of Scaevola crassifolia
and Frankenia pauciflora. Lime¬
stone cliffs are covered by patchy
succulent shrublands of
Disphyma crassifolium over
Calandrinia polyandra herbfields.

Inland the common vegetation
on sandy soils is low open
shrubland of Acacia rostellifera
(occasionally replaced by Acacia
ligulata or A. galeata) over Ptilotus

obovatus, Rhagodia latifolia,
Scaevola crassifolia, Carpobrotus aff
rossii and Diplolaena grandiflora.
Dunes may be dominated by
Diplolaena grandiflora or Atriplex
cinerea.

Areas of outcropping limestone
overlain by thin sands have low
heaths dominated by Atriplex
cinerea, Scaevola crassifolia or
Ptilotus divaricatus over numerous
shrubs, grasses and herbs.
Exposed limestone has an open
low succulent heath of
Sarcostemma viminale over herbs.
A seabird rookery had a mid
dense herbfield of *Chenopodium
murale.

A population of the potentially
serious weed Boxthorn (*L ycium
ferocissimum) was located on this
island and should be eradicated,
The population of Sxvainsona on
this island keys to S. longicarinata
(Sivainsona ? longicarinata (J.
ALFORD 1330), is the voucher
collection) but is poorly placed
in this species

8. BAUDIN ISLAND

26° 31' S 113° 39* E

Number of plant species

recorded: 92, 9 aliens.

Area: 19.0202 hectares.

Vegetation:

A low sand covered island with
several sandy beaches separated
by limestone headlands, and high
points of exposed limestone.
Beaches have a strand vegetation
of low shrubs of Calocephalus
broumii, backed by grasslands of
Spinifex longifolius, or sparse open
shrublands of Scaevola crassifolia
and Nitraria billardierei. The

115

remainder of the island is
covergd with low heath of
varying composition depending
on depth of the sand over the
limestone. Dominants of these
areas are Scaevola crassifolia,
Alyxia buxifolia, Accinthocarpus
preissii, Diplolaena grandiflora and
Acacia rostellifera. Limestone
outcrops have a heath
dominated by Sarcostemma
viminale. Talus slopes below
limestone headlands are
dominated by Nitraria billardierei
shrubland.

9. MARYANNE ISLAND
26° 29‘ S 113° 41' E

Number of plant species
recorded: 16, 4 aliens.

Area: 2.8328 ha.

Vegetation:

This island consists of a central
plateau and surrounding talus
slopes. The talus slopes are
dominated by Nitraria billardierei
very open shrubland. The
plateau was mined for guano,
and contains herbfields, instead
of shrublands. These herbfields
are dominated either by
Calandrinia polyandra, *Sagina
apetala, '*Chcnopodium murale or
* M esembryanthemum crystallinum.
Patches of Disphyma crassifolium
succulent prostrate shrubland
are found on ledges at the edge
of the plateau.

WILDS ISLANDS

26° 27 05" S, 113° 36’ 53" E

These are a group of four islets,
with the central and first islet
joined by a tombolo.

(Total area estimated at 1.241 ha

of which the central islet is
950m 2 .)

10. “CENTRAL" ISLAND
Number of plant species
recorded: 13, 5 aliens.

Vegetation:

The central islet has a plateau
surrounded by talus slopes. The
vegetation of the plateau lacks
any Nitraria shrubs but the
presence of old stumps suggests
that this island was mined for
guano, but the slopes and ledges
are also a large cormorant
rookery. The talus slopes have a
shrubland of Nitraria billardierei,
with the plateau dominated by
herbfields of *Chenopodium
murale, *Sagina apetala or
*Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.

11. “FIRST ISLET"

No vegetation recorded.

12. “SECOND ISLET"

No vegetation recorded.

13. “THIRD ISLET”

Number of plant species

recorded: 9, 3 aliens.

Vegetation:

A rugged limestone rock with
Nitraria billardierei shrubs mainly
on ledges with low succulent
shrubland of Disphyma
crassifolium on northern end.

14. DEPUCH ISLAND “SOUTH”

26° 26’S 113° 33'E

Number of plant species

recorded: 12, 5 aliens.

Area: 479 m 2 .

Vegetation:

Located opposite the Wilds

116

Islands and 400 metres from the
mainland. This island consists of
rounded limestone boulders and
guano (? an old mined patch).
Vegetation consists of one patch
of Nitraria billardierei shrubs,
with the rest of the island having
a sparse cover of a variety of
scattered herbs.

15. DEPUCH ISLAND “NORTH”

26° 26* S, 113° 33’E

Number of plant species
recorded: 15,6 aliens.

Area: 0.896 ha.

Vegetation:

Located about 200 metres from
the mainland. Centre of island
completely bare of vegetation, a
legacy of guano mining. Sur¬
rounding this area are scattered
Nitraria billardierei shrubs over
the succulent, Disphyma
crassifolium and grasses and herbs.

16. WHITE ISLAND
26° 27 S 113° 46'E

Number of plant species
recorded: 15, 5 aliens.

Area: 4.0469 ha.

Vegetation:

Primarily limestone covered in
yellowish sandy guano. The
centre of the island is devoid of
vegetation - a legacy of guano
mining. The steep rocky slopes
below the centre are covered in
scattered Nitraria billardierei
shrubs over annuals. As the slope
levels a band of Atriplex isatidea
shrubs occurs.

Unusually this island contains
two Calandrinia species,
consisting of Calandrinia
polyandra and a taxon that was

not able to be allocated to any
named or unnamed material of
the genus in PERTH. Calandrinia
sp (]. Alford 1376) is either very
rare or a poorly collected taxon.

17. DOUBLE ISLAND
26° 25’ S 113° 37 E

No of plant species recorded: 13, 2
aliens.

Area: 405 m 2 .

Vegetation:

This island consists of two high
plateaus with sharp rugged
limestone talus surrounding the
island. Soil, where present, is a
light brown to pink/orange
sandy loam over massive
consolidated limestone. The talus
slopes have scattered shrubs of
Nitraria billardierei over herbs.
The plateau vegetation consists
of herbfields of *Chenopodium
m n ra le, * M e se ?n b r y a n t/i e m u m
crystallinum and Calandrinia
polyandra. This vegetation type is
the result of guano mining.

18. FREYCINET ISLAND
26° 24’S 113° 37 E

Number of plant species
recorded: 34, 6 aliens.

Area: 3.6422 hectares.

Vegetation:

This island consists of a central
plateau and surrounding talus
slopes. The talus slopes are
dominated by a low closed
shrubland of Nitraria billardierei,
over half of which are damaged
by guano from roosting and
nesting cormorants. The plateau
was mined for guano, and
contains herbfields, instead of
shrublands. These herbfields are

117

dominated by Calandrinia
polyandra with * Chenopodium
murale and *Sagina apetala.
Patches of Disphyma crassifolium
succulent prostrate shrubland
are at the edge of the plateau.
Seedlings of Nitraria billardierei
are found throughout this area.
There is a swale in the centre of
the plateau, with deeper sandy
loam which has a very low, wind
pruned shrubland of A butilon
oxycarpum, and Ptilotus exaltatus
which contains patches of grasses
and succulents. The grassland is
dominated by Bromus arenarius to
30 cm and 1-60% cover. There is
also one large patch on the talus
slope below the west cliff. The
succulent herbfields are

dominated by Calandrinia

polyandra (normally with pink,
occasionally white flowers)
varying from 10-60% cover.
*A vena sterilis is the dominant
grass on a patch on the eastern
dune with 60% cover.

19. CHARLIE ISLAND
26° 23* S 113° 34'E

A rock, with only scattered
shrubs of Nitraria billardierei are
present.

20. “SOUTH WEST CHARLIE"
26°23' S 113° 34’E

Number of plant species
recorded: 7, 2 aliens.

Area: 0.92 ha.

Vegetation:

A limestone rock with a thick
guano enriched plateau on top. A
low shrubland of Nitraria
billardierei occurs on the edges of
the plateau with a few wind

pruned specimens to 20 cm on
the summit. The plateau has
many old dead Nitraria stumps, a
legacy of guano mining and
cormorant colonies.

21. KANGAROO ISLAND
26° 19* S 113° 30’E

Number of plant species
recorded: 11, 5 aliens.

Area*. 1.177 ha.

Vegetation:

A platform island with tiny cliffs
all around and shallow waters
surrounding, being less than 100
metres from the mainland. Soils
are very shallow grey/light
brown sandy loams over ancient
wave washed limestone. The
margins and portions of the
central dune are covered in a
Nitraria billardierei shrubland.
Where this has been removed by
guano mining there is now a
herbfield of * Chenopodium
murale, *Sonchus oleraceus and
*Sagina apetala with emergent
L avatera pleibea var tomentosa.

22. NORTH KANGAROO ISLAND
26° 17* 59'S 113° 30’ 11" E
Number of plant species
recorded: 15, 3 aliens.

Area: 1.110 ha.

Vegetation:

A platform island with tiny cliffs
all around and shallow waters
surrounding, being less than 100
metres from the mainland. The
margins are covered in Nitraria
billardierei shrubland. Where this
has been removed by guano
mining in the centre of the
island there is now a herbfield of
Calandrinia polyandra.

118

23. BRIGGS ROCKS
26° 16' S 113° 29’E

No vegetation recorded.

24. LEFEBRE ISLAND
26° 14'S 113° 30’E

Number of plant species
recorded: 5,1 alien.

Island has 2 distinct limestone
plateaus with a low dune
between, total area: 1.985 ha.
Vegetation:

Only a few metres offshore, close
to Useless Loop salt mining
operations. Several hundred Pied
Cormorants nest here. At the
northern end there is a herbfield
of * Chenopodium murale with
scattered emergent L avatera
pleibea var tomentosa. The rest of
the island is mainly bare sand
and guano. In places where gross
disturbance has not occurred
there is a fringing shrubland of
Nitraria billardierei.

25. “EAGLE BLUFF” ISLAND
26° 06'S 113° 35’E

Number of plant species
recorded: 7,3 aliens.

Area: 2.456 ha.

Vegetation:

This island has low cliffs and a
dune on the south-eastern end.
Vegetation is mainly Nitraria
billardierei shrubland of varying
density over herbs, except for a
large bare area on the dune.

Flora

Ian Abbott on 23.6.1976 recorded
8 plant species on this island
(Abbott 1980). He did not record
Mesembryanthemum, Sagina,
Nicotiana or L avatera. He

recorded Pelargonium sp
(?probably L avatera), Lawrencia
sp. f Sporobolus virginicus,
Muellerlimonium salicorniaceum ,
and Poa sp. These five species
may have become extinct on the
island or may have been missed
due to the fact that Bridled Terns
were nesting on the island
during our visit and so some
parts of the island were avoided
so as not to scare adults off
chicks, thereby exposing them to
predation.

26. “SOUTH WEST EAGLE
BLUFF” ISLAND

26° 06' S 113° 35’ E

Number of plant species
recorded: 3,1 alien.

Area: 495 m 2 .

Vegetation:

We did not land on this island,
however, Nitraria billardierei
shrubland is the dominant cover.
This species and L avatera pleibea
var tomentosa were recorded from
the boat. Ian Abbott recorded
Nitraria billardierei, ^Chenopodium
sp. and Pelargonium sp. on his visit
on 23-6-1976.

27. FRIDAY ISLAND
26° 06’ S 113° 24' E

Number of plant species
recorded: 5,1 alien.

Area-. 819 m 2 .

Vegetation:

This small flat topped island,
close to shore, has been severely
disturbed by guano mining in
the past. The southern side has a
small beach with a herbfield of
*Chenopodiujn murale and

119

scattered emergent L avatera
pleibea var tomentosa. The plateau
of the island lacks vegetation
and consists of a mantle of guano
rich sand with numerous
cormorant nests. The northern
end of the island is a talus slope
with a low shrubland of Nitraria
billarclierei, which probably
occurred on the plateau prior to
mining.

28. SLOPE ISLAND

26° 05 47’ S, 113° 24* 53" E
Number of plant species
recorded: 4,1 alien.

Area: 935 m 2 .

This island is used as the end of
the jetty for salt loading
operations by Dampier Salt for
their Useless Loop Operations.
Most of the island surface has
been destroyed or severely
altered. Some remnant Nitraria
billarclierei shrubland is found on
the talus slopes of the island.

29. SMITH ROCKS
26° 05 S 113° 24* E

No vegetation recorded.

Area: 185 m 2 .

30. “NORTH-WEST’SLOPE ISLET
26° 03' 28" S 113° 24’ 51" E
Number of plant species
recorded: 11, 6 aliens.

Area: 915 m 2 .

Vegetation:

This small flat topped island,
close to shore, has been severely
disturbed by guano mining in
the past. Some remnant Nitraria
billarclierei shrubland is found on
the talus slopes of the island.

31. SUNDAY ISLAND
26° 07’ 33" S 113° 14’ 07" E

Number of plant species
recorded: 14, 4 aliens.

Area: 202 m 2 .

Vegetation:

A small flat topped island, close
to shore.

The plateau has a low shrubland
of Nitraria billarclierei, which is
disturbed probably from
localised or exploratory guano
mining.

32. MEADE ISLAND
26° 00’ 06"S113°ir 58" E

Number of plant species
recorded: 15, 5 aliens.

Area: 405 m 2 .

Vegetation:

A small flat topped island, close
to shore.

The northern end of the island is
a talus slope with a low
shrubland of Nitraria billarclierei,
which probably occurred on the
plateau prior to guano mining.

33. EGG ISLAND

25° 54' 35" S 113° 09’21"E

Number of plant species

recorded: 4,2 aliens.

Area: 405 m 2 .

Vegetation:

A small flat topped island, close
to shore the island is a talus slope
with a low shrubland of Nitraria
billarclierei.

34. PELICAN ISLAND
25° 51* 13’S 114° 00’ 49" E

Number of plant species

recorded: 5,1 alien.

Area: 6.0703 hectares.

120

Vegetation:

This low sandy island, is covered
with a low shrubland of Nitrarici
billardierei.

DISCUSSION

Heath, shrublands and herbfields
were the common vegetation
formations found on the islands.
Species numbers ranged from 109
species recorded from the largest
island, Salutation, through 92
species for Baudin and 80 on
Three Bays Island (the other large
diverse islands) to none recorded
for 5 islands (North Smith, Briggs
Rocks, two of the Wild Islets and
Smith Rocks).

One hundred and sixty nine
species of vascular plant were
recorded during the survey from
all 34 islands in the study (Table
1). These species comprised 33
Monocotyledons and 136
Dicotyledons. Thirty- four
species of vascular plants were
naturalised aliens, however,
given the history of disturbance
by guano mining and nesting
seabirds, this is not surprising.

The largest families were the
Poaceae (22 species - 13% of the
total), Chenopodiaceae (18 - 11%
of the total), Asteraceae (20 - 11%
of the total) and Malvaceae (9 -
5.4% of the total). Annuals were
very common comprising 69
species (most of the weeds are
annuals), over 40% of the total.

The flora is of course a subset of
the vascular flora of the World
Heritage area, which contains ca
855 species (Trudgen and
Keighery 1995). The largest

families of this flora are the
Asteraceae (95 taxa - 11% of
total), Poaceae (62 - 7% of the
total), Myrtaceae (69 - 8% of the
total), Chenopodiaceae (63 - 7%
of the total) and Proteaceae (40 -
4.7% of the total). Notable
differences between the pro¬
portions of the island floras
compared to the adjacent main¬
land are in the representation of
the Myrtaceae and Proteaceae
which are usually poorly repre¬
sented in near shore environ¬
ments in Western Australia.

One species, Calandrinia sp. nov.
(J. Alford 1376) has only been
recorded from a single collection
made on White Island. As with
most Western Australian
limestone islands off the west
coast the ubiquitous species was
Nitraria billardierei, which was
recorded from all vegetated
islands. One serious weed,
Boxthorn (L ycium ferocissimum)
was recorded from Salutation
Island and should be eradicated.

The small Shark Bay islands have
floristic elements shared between
all small offshore islands of the
west coast lying north of Perth,
viz: the Abrolhos (Harvey ct al.

2001) and the Lancelin to
Dongara Islands (Keighery et al.

2002) . However, overlaying this
widespread temperate element
there is a significant arid element
present on both the Abrolhos
and the Shark Bay Islands. The
flora of the islands is arid -
temperate in nature, but
impoverished compared to the
adjacent peninsular of Edel Land
or the larger Dirk Hartog Island.

121

Tabic 1. Vascular plants recorded on islands in the Freycinet Estuary

12 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12

MONOCOTYLEDONS

ANTHERICACEAE

Dichopogon tyleri N.H. Brittan

Murchisonia volubilis N.H. Brittan

Thysanotus patersonii R.Br.

ASPHODELEACEAE

Bulbine semibarbata (R.Br.) Haw.

•

DASYPOGONACEAE

Acanthocarpus preissii End 1.

A. robustus A.S.George

A.sp (Hopper 1367)

L omandra maritima T.S. Choo

•

DIOSCOREACEAE

Dioscorea hastifolia Endl.

PHORM1ACEAE

Dianella revoluta R.Br.

•

POACEAE
*Avena barbata Link
*A. sterilis L.

Bromus arenarius Labill. .

Bromus diandrus Roth

Cymbopogon ambiguus A.Camus

Danthonia caespitosa Gaud.

*Ehrhcirta longiflora Smith
*Eragrostis barrelieri Daveau

Eragrosiis dielsii Pilger

Eulalia fulva (R.Br.) Kuntze
*Hordeum leporinum Link
*L amarkia aurea (L.) Moench

Monachather paradoxa Steud.

Paractaenum novae-hollandiae P.Beauv.

Paspalidium sp
*Phalaris minor Retz.

*Rostraria pumila (Desf.) Tzvelev

Setaria dielsii Herrm. ...

Spinifex longifolius R.Br.

Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth

Stipa crinita Gaud.

S.elegantissima Labill.

S.nitida Summerh.

•

122

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

123

Table 1 (cont.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

DICOTYLEDONS

AIZOACEAE

Carpobrotus aff. rossii (Keighery
et Gibson 1615)

Disphyma crassifolium (L.) L.Bolus
*Mesembryai\themum crystallinum L.
Tetragonia diptera F.Muell.

Tetragonia implexicoma (Miq.) J.D.Hook.

AMARANTHACEAE
Ptilotus divaricatus (Gaud.) F.Muell.

var divaricatus
P. exaltatus Nees.

P. gaudichaudii (Steud.) J.Black
var gaudichaudii

P. obovatus (Gaud.) F.Muell. var obovatus
P. villosiflorus F.Muell.

APOCYNACEAE
A lyxia buxifolia R.Br.

ASCLEPIADACEAE
Gymnema granitica K.L.Wilson
Sarcostemma viminale (L.) R.Br.
ssp. australe (R.Br.) P.I.Forst.

ASTERACEAE
*Bidens bipinnata L.

Brachycome halophila P.S. Short
B. iberidifolia Benth.

B. latisquamea F.Muell.

Calocephalus broivnii (Cass.) F.Muell.
*Centaurea melitensis L.

Cephalipterum drummondii A.Gray
M illotia myosotidifolia.( Benth.) Steetz
Olearia axillaris (DC.) F.Muell.

Olearia dampieri (DC.) Lander
Podolepis microcephala Benth.

Podotheca augustifolia (Labill.) Less.
*Pseudognaphalium luteo-album (L.)

Hilliard & B.L.Burtt.

Rhodanthe humboltiana (Gaud.) P.G. Wils.
R. oppositifolium (S.Moore) P.G. Wils.
Senecio lautus G.Forst.

*Sonchus oleraceus L.

*S. tenerrimus L.

*Urospermum picroides (L.) Scop.

Waitzia podolepis (Gaud.) Benth.

124

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

125

Table 1 (cont.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

BRASSICACEAE
*Brassica tournefortii Gouan
*Hymenobolus procumbens (L.) Nutt,
ex Shinz.

Lepidium linifolium (Desv.) Steud.

L. puberulum Bunge
L. rotundum (Desv.) DC.

*Sisymbrium erysimoides Desf.
Stenopetalum pedicellare F. Mueel.
ex Benth.

CAESALPIN1ACEAE
Senna glutinosa (DC.) Randall ssp.
chatelainiana (Gaud.) Randall

CAPPARACEAE

Capparis spinosa L. var nummularia
(F.Muell.) Bailey

CARYOPHYLLACEAE
*Cerastium glomeratum Thuill.
*Polycarpon tetraphyllum (L.) L.

*Sagina apetala Ard.

*Silene gallica L.

*Silene nocturna (Moench.) Garke
*Spergularia diandra Heldr et Sart.

CHENOPODIACEAE
Atriplex cinerea Poir.

A. bunburyana F.Muell.

A. isatidea Moq.

*Chenopodium album L.

C. gaudichaudianum (Moq.) P.G.Wils.
*C. murale L.

Dysphania plantaginella F.Muell.
Dysphania sphaerosperma P.G. Wils.
Enchylaena tomentosa R.Br.

Halosarcia halocnemoides (Nees)
P.G.Wils. ssp tenuis P.G.Wils.

H. indica (Willd.) P.G. Wils.ssp. bidens
(Nees) P.G. Wils.

Rhagodia latifolia (Benth.) P.G. Wils.

R. preissii Moq.

Salsola tragusL.

Sclerolaena diacantha (Nees) Benth.

S. uniflora R.Br.

Suaeda australis (R.Br.) Moq.
Thrlekeldia diffusa R.Br.

126

13 14 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

127

Table 1 (cont.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

CHLOANTHACEAE

Dicrastylis maritima Rye &Trudgen

CONVOLVULACEAE
Convolvulus erubescens Sims
*Cuscuta epithymum (L.) L.

Wilsonia humilis R.Br.

CRASSULACEAE
Crassula colorata (Nees) Ostenf.
var colorata

CUNONIACEAE
Aphanopetalum clematideum
(J. Drumm. ex Harv.) Domin

EUPHORBIACEAE
Euphorbia boopthona C.A. Gardn.

E. drummondii Boiss.

FRANKENIACEAE
Frankenia pauciflora DC.

GERAN1ACEAE
Erodium cygnorum Nees
*Erodium cicutarium (L.) L’Her.

GOODENIACEAE
Goodenia berardiana (Gaud.) Carolin
Scaevola crassifolia Labill.

S. spinescens R.Br.

S. tomentosa Gaud.

LAURACEAE
Cassytha aurea J.Z. Weber

LOBELIACEAE
Lobelia heterophylla Labill.

MALVACEAE

Abutilon geranioides (DC.) Benth.

A. oxycarpum (F.Muell.) F.Muell.
Hibiscus sturtii Hook.var
truncatus Fryxell
*L avatera cretica L.

L. pleibeia Sims var tomentosa Hook.f.
Laivrencia densiflora (E.G.Baker)
Melville

L. viridigrisea N.S.Lander
Sida calyxhymenia Gay ex DC.

S. corrugata Lindl.

128

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

129

Tabic 1 (cont.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

MIMOSACEAE
Acacia galeata Maslin
A. ligulata Cunn. ex Benth.

A. rostellifera Benth.

A. victoriae Benth.

MYOPORACEAE
Eremophila glabra (R.Br.) Ostenf.

E. maitlandii F.Muell. ex Benth.
M^oporum desertii Cunn. ex Benth.
M. insulare R.Br.

MYRTACEAE

Thryptomene baeckeacea F.Muell.

T. sp “Carrarang" (J.Alford 1350)

NYCTAG1NACEAE
Commicarpus australis Meikle

OLEACEAE

Jasminum calcareum F.Muell.

OXALIDACEAE
Oxalis perennans Haw.

PAPILIONACEAE
Glycine canescens F.J.Herm.
G.tabacina (Labill.) Benth.
Indigofera georgei E. Pritzel
Lotus cruentus Court
*Melilotis indica (L.) All.

Swainsona longicarinata]. Thomp.
Templetonia retusa (Vent.) R.Br.

PITTOSPORACEAE
Pittosporum phylliraeoides DC.
var phylliraeoides

PLANTAG1NACEAE
Plantago drummondii Decne.

PLUMBAGINACEAE
Muellerlimon salicorniaceum
(F.Muell.) Lincz.

PORTULACCACEAE
Calandrinia polyandra Benth.

C. sp (J. Alford 1376)

Portulacca oleracea L.

130

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

131

Tabic 1 (cont.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

PRIMULACEAE
Samolus repens (Forst. et Forst.G.)
Pers.ssp nov. (J.Alford 1251)

PROTEACEAE

Grevillea candelabroides C.A.Gardn.

RANNUNCULACEAE
Clematis linearifolia Steudel

RUTACEAE

Diplolaena grandiflora Desf.

SANTALACEAE
Exocapus aphyllus R.Br.

Santalum llanceolatum R.Br.

SAPINDACEAE
A lectryon oleifolius (Desf.) S.T.

Reynolds ssp. oleifolius
Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. ssp.

angustissima (DC.) J.G. West

SOLANACEAE
*L ycium ferocissimum Miers
Nicotiana occidentalis Wheeler ssp.

hesperis (N.T. Burb.) Horton
*Solanum nigrum L.

SURIANACEAE
Stylobasium spathulatum Desf.

THYMELAEACEAE
Pimelea gilgiana E.Pritzel
Pimelea microcephala R.Br.

URTICACEAE
Parietaria debilis G. Forst.

ZYGOPHYLLACEAE
Nitraria billardierei DC.

Zygophyllum apiculatum F.Muell.

Z. fruticulosum DC.

Guano mining appears to have
occurred on 15 islands (North
and South Smith, Three Bays,
North and South Guano,
Maryanne, North and South

Depuch, Freycinet, White,
Charlie, North and South
Kangaroo, Lefebre and Friday)
and probably on Wild-Central
Islet and Double Island. Gauno

132

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

mining commenced on the
islands rapidly after settlement
in the 1840’s, but was poorly
documented or regulated. In
most of these islands the original

vegetation of Nitraria shrubland
was cut down and the loose
limestone rock placed in piles to
facilitate collection of the guano
(Wells 1955). This physical

133

evidence is still present on most
of these islands. The plateau
vegetation of the mined areas is
now a herbfield, sometimes with
Nitraria seedlings present, but on
no island has the vegetation
fully recovered from this
activity.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Andrew Burbidge and Phil Fuller
collected plants from Egg,
Sunday, Meade and Pelican
Islands during their seabird
surveys of these islands. Their
assistance made it possible to
complete surveying all the small
offshore islands of Shark Bay.
Keith Morris and Robert
Bromilow of the CALM Wildlife
Research Centre assisted in
accessing the islands during the
survey.

REFERENCES

ABBOTT, I. 1980. The floras of 37
south-western Australian islands.
West. Aust. Herbarium Research
Notes 3: 19-36.

HANCOCK, S„ BROWN, P. and
STEPHENS, B. 2000. Shark Bay
Terrestrial Reserves Management
Plan, 2000-2009. Department of
Conservation and Land
Management.

HARVEY, J.M., ALFORD, J.J.,
LONGMAN, V.M. and KEIGHERY,
G.J. 2001. A flora and vegetation
survey of the islands of the
Houtman Abrolhos, Western
Australia. CALM Science 3, 521-
623.

KEIGHERY, G.J., ALFORD, J.J. and
LONGMAN, V.M. 2002. A
vegetation survey of the islands of
the turquoise coast from Dongara
to Lancelin, south-western
Australia. Conservation Science W.
Australia 4:13 -62.

TRUDGEN, M.E. and KEIGHERY,
G.J. 1995. Flora of the Shark Bay
World Heritage Area and
Environs. Report to the
Australian Heritage Commission
by Department of Conservation
and Land Management.

WELLS, B. 1955. The fertilizer
industry of Western Australia,
1850-1950. Teacher’s College
Thesis.

134

IN MEMORIAM

DORIS ISABEL JOHNSON
05 October 1911 - 24 September 2005

Doris Johnson, one of the Club’s most loved members,
passed away on 24 September 2005 just one week before
her 94 th birthday.

Doris joined the Club in June 1964 and was elected to
Council in 1980 and served as Secretary in 1981-1983. By
April 1983 she began coordinating the Retired and
Leisured Group which she continued for nearly 20 years.
She played a pivotal role in this group as well as helping
out at most meetings of the main club. Her good cheer
and support will be sorely missed.

Doris Johnson (second from left) at a Retired and Leisured Group excursion to
Herdsman Lake in October 1996.

135

The following eulogy was read by Doris Johnson’s
nephew at her Memorial Service.

Welcome to this celebration of the life of my Aunt Doris,
known more commonly in the family as AD, Dot or
Dottie. it was a life so full of interest that I can indicate
only briefly her essential biographical details in the time
available.

She was born on 5 October 1911, the fourth child in a
family of eight. Her parents were pioneering settlers in
the Kalamunda district.

1900 - August Johannson and Maggie Ervin met in Bulong,
in the WA goldfields. He was a Swedish seaman who,
aged 19 and with seven shillings in his pocket, jumped
ship in Rockingham in 1891, and by 1900 was
prospecting in the Bulong area. Maggie was from a
farming family in Victoria who had come to Bulong
to keep house for her older brother Bob.

1902 - On becoming naturalized, August changed his name
to Johnson.

1903 - August Johnson and Maggie Ervin married in
Fremantle.

1904 - First child born.

1905 - They bought 12 acres of Crown land in Lesmurdie,
built a shack with bush materials, hessian and iron,
later a 3 roomed cottage with stone from the property.
Grew annual crops, strawberries, peas etc.

1906 - Second child born. 1908 Third child born. 1911 Aunt

Dot born. All four children so far were girls. With
further clearing of the property an orchard was
gradually established. Times were hard and money
scarce. By the time Dot was ten, four more children
had been born, two boys and two girls. Money still
scarce!

1916 to 1926 - Dot attends Kalamunda School, a two mile
walk each way through the bush. There was no high
school in the area, and the remarkably dedicated
schoolmaster simply extended the range of his classes
to Junior High School level to give local kids the
opportunity of a secondary education.

1926 - Dot passes the junior Certificate Examinations.

1927 - She attends Underwood Business College, tuition fees

being paid for by Nora (sister no 2), then a teacher. In a

136

competition between the interstate Underwood
colleges, Dot comes top in shorthand, and is a runner
up in typing. At the end of that year she begins her
long working life by joining TPA as a shorthand typist.
The Depression begins to be felt. Her salary is reduced
from 35 to 30 shillings per week, but she remains
employed.

1929 - Travels to Sydney by ship (and who can blame her?).
She remains in Sydney for the next 15 years, holding
down some top secretarial jobs, with only one brief
holiday back in WA.

1932 - Begins to study singing with Gertrude Hutton in
Sydney. Joins the Sydney University Musical Society
and sings in Dido and Aeneus and oratoria: is generally
thrilled to bits by the experience.

1944 - Returns to WA to be present (and sing) at Frank and
Maureen’s wedding. Joins WM Adams and Co as
secretary to the manager. Saves furiously for her first
overseas trip. Joins University of WA Choral Soc.

1951 - AT LAST. Voyage to UK via Suez fortifies her view
that sea travel is the only civilized way to go. Works in
London, not discouraged by the persistence of food
rationing, nevertheless glad of a food parcel from
Australia when she returns from her first exploration

Doris Johnson's 90 th birthday, 5 October 2001.

137

of continental Europe. Becomes a member of YHA
and buys a rucksack (5 shillings and 11 pence at Army
Disposals), then tours Scotland and the Lakes District.

1952 highlights - Standing for hours in the cold to view
King George Vis lying in state in Westminster Hall,
then watching the cortege going to Paddington
station on its way to Windsor for the burial. Watching
Queen Mary’s funeral procession. What a lot of fun
you can have in London. At Easter that year, did a
bike tour of Cornwall with two of her buddies. Aug/
Sept, by boat to Helsinki (saunas and cold plunges)
and Stockholm (whole families of Swedish relatives).

1953 highlights - Sitting in an open seat in The Mall in
pouring rain watching all comings and goings of the
Coronation. Later that June, a YHA trip through
North Wales, Derbyshire and other counties.

1954 - Major hitchhiking tour through France, Italy,
Germany etc. between April and June. Knee groped by
louche French truck driver. Side trip to Malta with
aunts Sue and Bid to attend opening by the Queen of
a memorial honouring RAF and RAAF crew members
shot down whose bodies weren’t recovered, including
their brother Con. Parents getting old and frail. Saves
furiously for trip home.

1955 - Completes circumnavigation of the globe by
returning home via Panama, Tahiti, Fiji and New
Zealand. Wonderful voyage, but understandably finds
it a little hard to settle back in “Dullsville”, WA.

1959 - After a couple of lacklustre jobs, finds one which is
exactly her cup of tea: secretary to the executive
officer of the FOP. Finds everything about the job
congenial, not least being her allocation of two free
tickets to most events, so during the Festival Season is
seldom home. Life becomes rich and full again. She
remains in this job until her retirement in 1976.

1961 - Her father dies in his 90 rh year. 1962 Her mother dies.

1963 - Buys a house - “Dot's Spot” - at 6 Meriwa St. Puts
down roots? Not likely!

1966 - First long service leave. Visits Eva and me in the wild
of the East Sepik District, New Guinea.

1974 - Second long service leave. Overseas world tour, by
ship (the Marconi) to Greece, then with a Eurail Pass
through Europe and Scandinavia, ending up in
London, visiting friends not seen for 19 years.

138

1975 - Her richly-deserved retirement. Embroidery and
afternoon telly? Again, not likely.

1976 - Globetrotting again for seven months. Norwegian
cargo/passenger ship to SE Asia, Japan and Vancouver.
Bus through the Rockies to Edmonton to visit her
goddaughter and family, then by train to Ottawa,
Niagara and New York. Flew to London, spent July
with rellies in Scandinavia, August and September in
UK with a short diversion to south of France to visit
her best buddy.

May 1979 - Long range expedition to Beverley Springs
Station, E Kimberley. 1983 N Qld safari to Cape York
Peninsula. 1984 WA Nats club expedition to Prince
Regent and Hunter Rivers. 1981 Tour of China with
another best buddy. Easter 1987 WA Nats Club trip to
the Abrolhos Island.

Doris Johnson had wonderful supportive neighbours. She
was devoted to the Naturalists' Club and frequently
talked about the comradeship and intellectual
stimulation she derived from her long association with
them over the years.

The following tribute was written by Kevin Coate

Doris Johnston was a long time member and stalwart of
the Naturalists’ Club, and one of those wonderful people
from the older generation who in this modern age still
retained old world values and kept up appearances no
matter what. She had that happy knack, be it pottering
around the garden, bush walking or just sitting at an
office desk, of appearing neat and tidy with scarcely a
hair out of place. Doris had a good sense of humour and
was one of the hardy group of Naturalists' Club members,
who embarked on a voyage of discovery along the
Kimberley Coast in 1984. It was a trip she enjoyed
immensely, and one which she often liked to recall when
in company.

While based in Prince Frederick Harbour, having retraced
Phillip Parker King’s 1820 trip by whale boat to the upper
reaches of the Hunter River, we went ashore near the
confluence of the tidal section into the fresh water, to
explore further upstream on foot. The tide dropped
dramatically baring muddy banks while we were away,
and the dinghies had to be relocated to the base of a large
rock projecting out from the bank of the river in order to

139

board. It was a difficult spot to embark as it was fairly
muddy and there was a drop of about six metres to the
boat that could be negotiated with care. The dinghy
nosed into the rock and Doris was first to clamber down
to get aboard. In the process her foot slipped on a piece of
mud clinging to the top of the rock.

Many of those there at the time, still talk in awe of how
Doris appeared to bounce about three times on her
bottom, picking up speed as she progressed down the
rock. Luckily she landed on the covered in section of the
bow of the dinghy, from where her momentum and the
uplift of the dinghy propelled her to a sitting position
facing forward in the back seat of the boat. Not having
lost her composure for a moment, the instant she made
contact with the seat, she produced a compact from her
top pocket and adjusted her makeup. Some swear to this
day, she had it out before landing.

The following tribute was written by Margo Bentley

At the meetings of the Retired and Leisured Group, Doris
always welcomed us with great warmth and brought us
all together in a very close friendship. One had to only
miss a single meeting to receive a phone call from her to
enquire if all was well. She maintained many contacts
with members unable to come to meetings and brought
their news to us.

She had made many trips with the Club and had
travelled overseas and she had a deep interest and joy in
hearing at our meetings about other member's travels and
adventures, including the Long Range Excursions.

As a devoted gardener, both she and all of us were
fascinated when members brought in and spoke about
their wildflower amd garden specimens or their
photographs pf them.

Music and the arts were very much to her taste and
discussions about them enriched the time we spent
together and we went to a number of exhibitions at the
Museum, Art Gallery and State Library, including one on
French exploration and another was the Ellis Rowan
exhibition.

Our meetings have been a real pleasure due to Doris’
interest in and love of the Group. We all have happy
memories of them and of her.

140

Sive^

CLUB NEWS

Programme

General Meetings and Branch Meetings are held at various venues in Nedlands,
Kalamunda, Rockingham and North Beach.

The Retired and Leisured Group meets on alternate Wednesdays at 10a.m.

Excursions and field days are planned from time to time and will be advertised in the
Club’s monthly newsletter “The Naturalist News”.

THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST

(Journal of the W.A. Naturalists’ Club)

Editor

MR JOHN DELL

The Western Australian Naturalist publishes original data on all
branches of natural science pertaining to Western Australia. Originals
and two copies of manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor for
review by two referees. Authors are requested to follow current
editorial style. If possible, manuscripts should be submitted on an IBM
compatible 3Vz disk in Word format. High quality illustrations suitable for
some reductions in size are preferred.

DONATIONS TO THE CLUB

Members are reminded that they may make financial contributions to the club. This
funding is very important from the Club’s point of view, as it helps our publication
activities, field station maintenance and other miscellaneous activities. Members are
asked to remember the club and its needs when preparing their Wills and Testaments.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Annual Membership: one adult, $60; Double Membership: $75; Family Membership:
$65; Young members (6-17 years): $30. All Subscriptions include “The Western
Australian Naturalist”.

Further copies of ‘The Western Australian Naturalist’ (or back copies) are available
from the Treasurer.

CONTENTS

Page

Probable local extinction of the Bush Rat. Rattus fuscipes on East
Wallabi Island in the Houtman Abrolhos. By N.K. Cooper, R.A. How
and A. Desmond. 61

Birds of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean. By D. Hopton. 72

Appraising vertebratediversity on Bonapartelslands,Kimberley, Western
Australia. By Ric How. Line Schmitt, Roy Teale and Mark Cowan. 92

Floristics of the Shark Bay World Heritage site, Western Australia:
Vegetation and flora of 34 small islands. By G.J. Keighery, J.J. Alford,

M.E. Trudgen and W.R. Muir. Ill

In Memoriam - Doris Isabel Johnson. 133

HANDBOOKS

The Club’s Handbooks are for sale

No. 7

The Dragonflies (Odonata) of South-western Australia. By J. A. L.

Watson. Price $3.85

No. 10

A Guide to the Coastal Flora of South-western Australia. By G. G.

Smith 2nd Edition. Price $8.80

No. 11

The Natural History of the Wongan Hills. K. F. Kenneally (Co-ordinator).

Price $6.60

No. 12

Mangroves of WesternAustralia. By V.Semeniuk, K. F. Kenneally and P.

G. Wilson. Price $6.60

No. 13

A Naturalists’ Guide to Perth. By B. M. J. Hussey, M. Southwell-Keely and

J.M. Start. Price $11.00

No. 15

Pollination in Western Australia - a Database of Animals Visiting Flowers.

By E. M. Brown, A. H. Burbidge, J. Dell, D. Edinger, S.D. Hopper and R.

T. Wills Price $27.50

Growing Locals: Gardening with Local Plants in Perth. By R. Powell and

J. Emberson. Price $21.45

* Prices shown do not include postage and packaging *

Printed by WA Museum Publications Dept

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